Swash
by ReneyyySprouse
Summary: "So, that's it? After everything we've been through; all that we've ever done for each other - this is really how you want to leave it?"
1. Perfect

'We'll do it all  
Everything  
On our own.  
We don't need  
Anything  
Or anyone.'  
**_Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol._**

* * *

**Chapter One - Perfect.**

* * *

The overcast October sun seeped through the upper deck porthole of the S.S. Tipton and warmed the classroom where Zack Martin sat alone at his desk, counting his money and lost in his own thoughts of triumph. The ship softly lolled against the harsh waves where it rested at the Californian dock, while the voices of all the other passengers out on the deck echoed throughout the room, adding to Zack's impatience as he waited for the revelation of his punishment for his latest scheme.

The familiarity of the scene then increased as Zack gazed up at the sudden noise of the classroom door opening. Shortly following this came the entrance of Mr. Moesby, who looked more or less torn limb from limb, along with Miss. Tutweiller who was obviously trying to hold in her laughter at the unfortunate shredding of Moesby's clothes.

"Nice look, Mr. M.," Zack commented in sarcasm.

Moesby growled under his breath while Tutweiller averted him from jumping over the desk and strangling the blonde haired teen.

"Zack," she started, sounding slightly unsure of herself, "what could have possibly made you think it was ok to post a bulletin on the internet saying that Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner were staying on the ship all weekend?"

"It's Hollywood, baby!" Zack replied, "Plus, look at all the money I got from the girls trying to come aboard and meet them."

Moesby frowned and snatched the cash out of Zack's hand, "Well, all I got for forcing the mob ashore was a ripped jacket and the loss of my favourite pocket hankie!"

"There is another problem here!" Tutweiller cut in, interrupting Moesby's rant. She directed her attention back to Zack, "While you were off on your little escapade today, rather than attending class, you missed a surprise test that I sprung on the class."

"It's not that much of a problem," Zack argued, "I probably would've only gotten a 'D', anyway."

"Well, just to be sure of that, after some discussion, Mr. Moesby and I have decided that while the rest of your classmates will be spending their Saturday exploring L.A., you'll be staying here doing a make-up test."

Zack's jaw dropped, "What? Aw, come on, Miss. T., you can't be serious."

"I'm afraid the both of us are powerless to be otherwise," Moesby interjected.

Zack sank down into his seat in disappointment, ignoring the smile of cynicism lying across Moesby's face.

"Perhaps you'll remember this next time you want to pull a such a reckless hoax."

Rolling his eyes at Moesby's need to get in the last word of the painful lecture, Zack leapt up from his seat and eagerly went to take his 'hard earned' money back from the ship manager.

"Uh, uh," Moesby scolded, snapping his hand out of Zack's reach, "I'm sure there is a much more worth while charity of some description that you would be pleased to make a small donation to."

Zack scoffed in further disbelief of how wrong his so called 'perfect' plan had turned out. "Fine," he spat, marching angrily towards the door.

"See you in the morning," Tutweiller called to him as Zack made his heated exit, "nine a.m. sharp!"

* * *

Bailey Pickett sighed in relief at the sensation of the cool evening breeze blowing through her long, blonde hair. She looked out across the ocean from where she stood on the ship's upper most deck, all the reds, oranges and yellows from the horizon's sunset filling her vision with warmth.

"This was a great idea," she spoke as she felt a pair of arms slink around her waist.

Tilting her head slightly, Bailey smiled as she made eye contact with the bright, blue orbs of Cody Martin from where his chin sat rested on her shoulder.

"I told you - there's nothing more beautiful than a Pacific sunset."

Cody took his arms away from Bailey's sides and leaned back on the deck railing, "Well, I can think of one more thing."

Bailey's grin grew wider as she giggled her silly little shy giggle at the sweet compliment from her boyfriend while he took her hand and pulled her in towards him. Cody closed his eyes, Bailey's adorable laugh still ringing in his ears, as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"This is so perfect," she murmured, her forehead pressed against Cody's.

"And it's only going to get better."

"How?"

Cody smirked and spread his arms out, gesturing to everything around him, "It's Hollywood, baby!" Bailey laughed again while Cody pulled her back towards him, "The whole city is ours."

"Oh, Cody."

"Oh - Zack?"

"Zack?" Bailey spun around in confusion to find Cody's brother making his way across the deck with a camera in one hand and a power saw in the other.

"What are you doing?" Cody shot accusingly at his twin.

Zack hesitated for a moment, "You know those situations I get myself into sometimes, and then when I start explaining it to you, you end up just blocking your ears saying you don't want to know?"

"Yeah?"

"This is probably one of those."

Cody scoffed and grab onto Zack's shoulder before he could attempt an escape, "Zack!"

"Ok, look, I was just going to climb up into the crow's nest."

"That's been closed off ever since that girl Olivia had her adventure up there!"

"Well, yeah, I know that now," Zack agreed, tearing away from his brother's grip, "Moesby and Tut aren't letting me off the ship tomorrow 'cause of the whole R-Patz thing, but I wanted a kick arse picture in front of the Hollywood sign for my blog. So, I figure if I can get down into the hull of the ship and then cut my way up to the ladder for the crow's nest, I should be able to get a pretty good shot."

"No!" Cody instantly protested.

"What do you mean no?"

"There is a reason it's been closed off, 'ya know. It's dangerous! If you had just gone to class instead of hosting some phoney Twilight party, you wouldn't be in this situation, anyway."

"Cody's right, Zack," Bailey jumped in, "You could get really hurt if you climbed up there."

Zack groaned in annoyance, "I've already had one of these lectures today, thank you."

"Just promise me you won't go up there?"

Zack sighed and locked eyes with his brother, trying his hardest to knock down the protective wall that Cody was obviously striving to build around him.

"Ok, fine," Zack emitted in defeat, "I promise I won't go up there."

"Thank you," Cody said, taking Bailey's hand as the two made their way to the elevator, "You should probably get studying for that make-up test tomorrow."

Zack nodded, "Will do, bro."

Zack held the smile on his face in place until the elevator doors closed and both Cody and Bailey had disappeared behind them. Once they had, the older twin uncrossed his fingers from behind his back and gazed up and the highly perched space above him.

"I'll get a better shot in the morning."

* * *

**Hello everybody :) Ok, this idea has been sitting in the back of my head for about a month now and it will not leave me alone, so I decided to post the first chapter in an attempt to redirect my focus back to my other story. I am really excited about this one, though :) **

**Lemme know what you think so far, even though there's pretty much nothing going on right now. Reviews make me smile :) Thanks guys!**

**Reneyyyyyyyyyyy x.**


	2. Seeing Red

'Cause, I'm young and hopeless  
I'm lost and I know this  
I'm going nowhere fast that's what they say  
I'm troublesome, I've fallen  
I'm angry at my father  
It's me against this world and I don't care.'  
_**The Young and the Hopeless - Good Charlotte.**_

* * *

**Chapter Two - Seeing Red.**

* * *

Bailey examined herself in the floor mirror and smiled in approval. It was now Saturday – 9:15 to be exact – and Bailey had awoken that morning to the sound of Cody's ring tone reverberating from her mobile phone along with a text message telling her to be dressed and ready for a surprise. While Bailey didn't have the slightest clue what Cody had in store for her, as she continued studying her reflection, she guessed that her outfit would satisfy both the outing and her boyfriend. She was wearing a bright red dress that came down to her knees and flowed outward in an array of pleats. Wrapped around her waist was a gold belt that hugged her figure and she also wore a pair of matching gold sandals. Her blonde curls hung out loosely by her sides and cascaded over her shoulders. Just as she finished brushing her fringe out of her eyes, Bailey looked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening.

"Hey, London," she said, amazed to see her roommate up at that time of morning, "So, what do you think?" Bailey then asked, doing a little spin to show off her outfit.

London paused for a moment, gazing Bailey up and down, "I think you should stay away from any dogs you walk past – you look like a fire hydrant."

Bailey frowned but soon shrugged off yet another unflattering comment from the heiress.

London, on the other hand, was wearing a short, strapless dress that blended downward into different tones of pink. Her dark hair was styled high on her head and she wore a pair of high, silver stilettos.

"Where's Cody taking you anyway?" London enquired.

"Not sure. He said it was a surprise," Bailey replied with anticipation leaking in her voice.

"Well just remember," London began, "if he makes you pay for anything, dump him."

Bailey scowled at London again, "Ignoring that comment, where are you off to this morning?"

"I'm meeting up with some friends that live down here," London responded as she opened the door to their cabin, "Apparently none of them have ever heard of the expression 'at the crack of noon'. Tootles!"

Bailey rolled her eyes as she watched London leave the cabin and then took a quick glance at the watch that sat on her wrist, "Oh, shoot! I've gotta' get to the Sky Deck to meet Cody."

Grabbing her red purse and her room key – assuming London had remembered to take her own – Bailey closed the door behind her and then, quickening her pace, made her way up to the Sky Deck to find Cody.

* * *

The mid-morning sun glared brightly in Bailey's eyes as she scoped out the Sky Deck for any sign of her boyfriend.

It was the perfect Autumn day up on deck – there was a slight breeze that complimented the hot Californian sun, and the ship rocked gently against the unforgiving waves where it was docked.

Just as Bailey was feeling ready to give up her search, she felt a hand on each of her shoulders and then spun around to meet Cody's cheerful gaze.

"Good morning my little Hay-Bail," he spoke happily, gently planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey, Cody," she replied, stifling a quiet giggle to herself, "What's going on? I thought we weren't going out till this afternoon?"

"Yeah, that was the plan," Cody spoke mysteriously, taking Bailey's hand in his, "but instead I've made reservations for us to have breakfast at one of the port's cafes right by the sea. What do you think?"

Bailey grinned in pleasant surprise, "Aw, Cody, that sounds great!"

"Well, then, let's go."

The two then walked, hand in hand, towards the ship's lobby on their way to the gangplank and then to the cafe where Cody had organised their date.

The conversation flowed as the sweet sound of Bailey's voice rang welcomely in Cody's ear, his cheeks already hurting from the constant smiling and laughing he found himself caught in. It wasn't long, however, until he felt his blissful expression drop as something in the lobby rapidly gained his attention.

"Aw, man, what's happened now?"

Hastily leading his girlfriend into the lobby, Cody swiftly made his way over to where Mr. Moesby was, once again, standing over Zack, looking as angry as ever.

"What's going on, Mr. Moesby?" Cody immediately asked.

Moesby growled under his breath in frustration and then redirected his heated vision from one twin to the other, "Your hooligan brother was caught trying to make his way into the ship's hull and up into the crow's nest."

Zack stared up guiltily at his brother while Cody's jaw dropped, "What?"

"And if missing his original test yesterday wasn't bad enough," Moesby continued, "he also skipped out on his make-up test this morning."

"It's just one little test Mr. Moesby, what's the big deal?" Zack snapped in his defense.

"It may seem like just one little test, Zack, but that one little test may certainly count towards a factor of your future when you try to make something of yourself!" Moesby retorted, "If that's even possible, of course."

Zack rolled his eyes and sank further down into the lounge he was seated in. The last thing he felt like hearing was how yet another person believed how quickly his life was going nowhere.

"Both Miss. Tutweiller and myself are at our wit's end with you, Zack," Moesby restarted, "And frankly, we're unsure how many more pranks, hoaxes, schemes or flat out wrongdoings we're willing to put up with before we pack you up and send you straight back to Boston."

Cody suddenly sensed a sharp twinge in his chest. Although he was extremely annoyed with Zack for breaking his promise to him, before he even had the opportunity to question himself why, the younger twin knew that having Zack sent home was definitely not something he wanted to happen.

"It wasn't Zack's idea, ok, it was mine."

Zack and Moesby both instantly snapped their heads up at Cody's unexpected revelation, "What?" they barked at him in unison.

Cody sighed, "Zack wouldn't stop whining and complaining to me about how he wasn't allowed to go up to the Hollywood sign and snap a picture of himself, so I made the suggestion to him to climb up into the crow's nest and get one. I didn't think he'd actually be stupid enough to do it."

There was a short moment of silence before Zack opted to break it, "You're stupid."

"Look, Mr. Moesby," Cody resumed, ignoring his brother's insult, "I know Zack hasn't been the easiest student to deal with here on the ship, but this one really was down to me. And even if he doesn't deserve it, I'm sure if you give him just one more chance he won't let you down, right, Zack?"

Zack remained silent. Although he was feeling slightly reluctant to blame Cody for something that was entirely his fault, he eventually sighed, too, and nodded to Moesby, "Nothing like this will happen again, Mr. Moesby."

Moesby nodded in return, smiling in appreciation at the sincerity in Zack's voice, and then took his mobile phone out of his pocket, "Well then, I suppose I should call Miss. T. And let her know you will be over shortly to do your make-up test."

As soon as Moesby turned away from the group to make his phone call, Zack looked up at Cody and mouthed the words 'thank you' while Bailey squeezed his hand in obvious support of what he had done for his brother.

"Oh, and Cody," Moesby abruptly chimed back in, "seeing as this whole dangerous fiasco was your idea, you can consider yourself grounded for the the time that we're here today, too."

Cody scoffed in shock, "What? But, Mr. Moesby, I've already got plans! I mean, doesn't it count for anything that I told the –"

"Zzzt!" Moesby snapped, wagging his finger at Cody as he so often did, "I'm in a phone call."

Groaning in unwilling defeat, Cody turned on his heels, glaring in fury and Zack and then marched into the elevator with Bailey in hot pursuit.

"Every time I have something to look forward to," Cody cursed as the two stepped out into the corridor of their deck, "_every time_, Zack ruins it!"

"It's not that bad," Bailey soothed as she tried to console him, "We can still have a nice day together on deck while everyone else is off having fun in the city."

Cody's expression softened, "Bails, you don't have to stay with me today if you don't want to. Why don't you see if London wants to go have breakfast with you instead?"

Bailey shook her head, "She's already gone out. Besides, it doesn't bother me. I wouldn't have any fun out on dry land without you anyway."

Cody forced a smile as the two then fell into silence. Bailey hesitated for a brief second, then cautiously licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak, "I think that was a really nice thing you did for Zack, sweetie."

The quiet prolonged before Cody emitted a sarcastic laugh, "Yeah, whether or not he deserved it."

* * *

Cody looked up at the sudden sound of a quiet knock from the other side of Bailey and London's door. In a way, he was pretty relieved - he and Bailey had been cramming in as much calculus revision as they possibly could for the past hour and, as far as he was concerned, any interruption was welcome. However, his feelings of reprieve didn't last as long as Cody may have hoped, as the cabin door swung open to reveal Zack standing on the other side of it.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, Zack," Bailey spoke in reply to her friend. Cody stayed quiet as his brother made his entrance to the room and stood at the end of Bailey's bed.

"I just came up to say a proper thanks," Zack continued, directing his awareness at Cody, "If you didn't jump in when you did, Moesby would've thrown my sorry butt outta' here for sure."

Cody shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever, I'm sure you'll just find some other way to blow it tomorrow, anyway."

Zack's brow wrinkled in confusion while he shook off the slight stitch of offence that came with Cody's snapping retort, "This is about you getting stuck on the boat all day, too, isn't it? Well, look, if it makes you feel any better, Moesby's made me swab everywhere - even in places that I didn't know could be swabbed."

"Like where?" Bailey asked innocently, uneasily sensing what was bound to become a heated argument between the twins.

"Look, just forget it, ok?" Cody sniped, sitting upright on London's bed, "Forget all the plans I made with Bailey, all the Hollywood sites I'm gonna' miss out on seeing, forget everything. I suppose I really should stop expecting anything less every time I bail you out."

Zack scoffed, this time obviously insulted by Cody's comment, "Well, I'm sorry if I'm that much of a burden on you, Cody," he said cynically, "but nobody asked you to constantly look out for me."

"And nobody asked you to interfere with everything that goes on in my life, but you still do it."

Zack laughed at his twin in disbelief, "I hate to tell you this, buddy, but up until now we've pretty much been attached at the hip."

Bailey bit her lip nervously as she watched Zack draw in closer to where Cody was now standing in between the two beds in the centre of the room. Something certainly told her that this wasn't going to end well.

"Do you really think I want to spend every day of the rest of my life around you?!" Cody spat in an onslaught of anger.

Zack's expression dropped as he studied the look of refreshed rage that lay across his brother's face and he felt himself withdraw slightly from the argument at hand, "Well, no… but -"

"Exactly," Cody interjected, "**no**. And there's no buts about it. So, why don't you do Bailey and I a favour and just leave?"

Bailey's eyes widened as she scrutinized the pained expression on Zack's face. The awkward silence in the room stood for what felt like an eternity before Zack simply wiped all clear emotion from his face and turned to face the door, "Ok, fine."

As the door slammed back into place, Bailey cringed and glanced over at her boyfriend. There had definitely been many a time where she had found herself caught in this situation with the twins shooting all kinds of hurtful slurs at each other, but never before had she seen Cody so worked up and upset over something Zack had done.

As he felt the pair of concerned eyes penetrate his skin, Cody shifted his vision to meet Bailey's glance. He smiled at her softly, and for a split second, Bailey could swear she caught an apologetic glint in his eye, as momentary as it may have been.

"Don't worry about him," Cody plainly spoke, "or this revision, for that matter."

Bailey watched as Cody then hopped onto her bed and took her hand. He grinned at her again and then closed his eyes, leaning in to meet her lips. Bailey sighed and pulled away slightly, still in awe of Cody's blatant disregard for what had just gone down between he and his twin.

Cody raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

Bailey hesitated, her eyes still locked with Cody's. She searched his pupils for any sign of his conscience churning through his system, but soon forced a reluctant smile when her expectations fell short.

"Nothing," she replied, gently pecking him on the lips, "I'm fine."

* * *

**Ya see what happens? Once I start, I just can't stop, lol.**

**HEY GUYS :) I'm in an ultra happy mood coz taday was my last day of year 10 =D 6 weeks of summer holidays, YAY!**

**Anyways, what yaz think? Any ideas of where this whole pointless thing is actually going? Hopefully now that school's out I'll be able to update a little quicker. I know exactly what's happening in the next chapter but after that point it's pretty much just a whole bunch of random ideas all trying to cram their way in, so I guess depending on what I come up with, I'll either continue with this or go back to the final bit for 'Older Brothers'.**

**Questions, comment? Breaking 10 reviews would make me quite happy :) Thanks guys!**

**Reneyyyyyyyy x.**


	3. Hold Your Breath

'And if you go,  
I wanna go with you  
And if you die,  
I wanna die with you  
Take your hand and walk away.'  
_**Lonely Day - System of a Down.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Three - Hold Your Breath.**

* * *

Cody and Bailey walked through the door of cabin 8-101 to find their friend, and Cody's roommate, Woody Fink, lounging all over his bed reading one of his comic books.

It was getting close towards six p.m. and the ship had now left California and was well on its way through the fierce waves towards its next destination. As for Cody, he was just about due to start his evening towel boy shift up on the Sky Deck. He closed the door behind he and his girlfriend and placed his many calculus textbooks on his desk, wiping his brow.

"Man, it's hot in here," he complained, gaining Woody's attention, "It's only, like, sixty degrees out on deck."

"Well why don't you open the porthole?" Woody suggested.

"Because with the size of those waves crashing up against us it'd take two minutes for the ocean water to flow in and turn our room into an aquarium," Cody countered while he picked up Bailey's iPod that she had left on his desk, "Here ya' go, Bails."

"Thanks, Cody," she said, taking it from him and shoving it deep into her pocket, "I really gotta' stop leaving this thing lying around."

Cody smiled at her then grabbed his towel boy uniform and went into the bathroom to change.

"So, let me get this straight," Woody restarted, "you'd rather put up with the stuffiness of our cabin than swim in the cool ocean water?"

Shaking his head at the genuine tone of Woody's question, Cody did up his belt and decided to change the subject, "So what are you gonna' do tonight?" he called out.

"They're serving the Mexican Buffet on the Fiesta Deck again!" Woody yelled in excited reply.

Cody cringed as he buttoned up his shirt and walked out of the bathroom, "Maybe you should stay with Zack tonight. I mean, the humidity of our room plus your Mexican butt fumes could lead to one serious case of asphyxia."

Woody rolled his eyes, "You worry too much."

"Or maybe you just don't worry enough," Cody retorted. He took a quick glance at his watch, "I've really gotta' get going."

Bailey bit her lip and grabbed onto Cody's arm just as he was leaving, "Listen, Cody, maybe you should try to keep your distance from Zack."

Cody frowned, "How come?"

"Oh, no," Woody interjected, "don't tell me you guys had _another_ fight."

Bailey nodded then redirected her attention to Cody, "He seemed really upset with you, is all."

There was a pause of silence before Cody laughed to himself and shrugged away from Bailey's grip, taking her hand, "Bailey, you don't know how it works between Zack and I. After an argument, we slip right back to normal just to avoid apologising to each other."

"Yeah, but, Cody -"

Bailey's lips pressed together as Cody cut off her rambling with a quick peck, "It'll be fine," he reassured her, "I'll see you later. Bye, Woody."

"Cya'." Woody nodded and waved to Cody as he disappeared behind the door. As soon as he had, Bailey turned around and exchanged a glance with Woody, concern still filling her eyes to the brink.

* * *

After about an hour and a half of folding, sorting and giving out towels to fussy passengers, the number of patrons enjoying an evening dip in the pool or spa began to rapidly decrease as Cody wandered over to the Easy Squeezy juice bar to take a well deserved break.

Zack looked up as he heard someone take a seat on one of the stools by the bar, but soon shot his vision back to the bench he was wiping when he found the person was his brother.

"Man, I swear," Cody began, "this job gets harder and harder every day."

Zack ignored him, continuing to wipe the same spot on the bench.

"I'll have a Banana Fofana, thanks."

Still remaining speechless, Zack put down his rag and quickly made Cody's smoothie, dumping it on the table in front of him.

Cody frowned, "You alright?"

Zack laughed in disbelief, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just sort of wondering why you're wasting your time spending it all around me."

Cody's jaw dropped, "Are you serious? Zack, I was just angry. We hadn't docked anywhere in ages, I was just looking forward to going on a date with Bailey where our food didn't slide all over the table every time we went over a bumpy wave."

"Yeah, Cody, you made that pretty obvious."

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Cody asked, scoffing vulnerably.

"I don't want you to say anything," Zack snapped, "I just want you to shut up and drink your drink, ok?"

Cody sighed, taken aback a little before scooping up his cup and sarcastically taking a long, noisy sip of his drink. Uncertainty still circling his mind, the younger twin's face suddenly screwed up in distaste, gaining him another glare from his older brother.

"What's wrong now?" Zack barked.

Cody took the straw out of his mouth and gazed at Zack nervously, "It's a little weak."

Zack licked his lips and sighed in annoyance. Without saying another word, the elder twin then took his pink, flavourless chewing gum out of his mouth and tossed it in his brother's drink, "There ya' go. Adds to the flavour."

With that message obviously heard loud and clear, Zack smirked at the look of shock on his twin's face, then picked up his dish rag and walked over to the sink at the other end of the juice bar, leaving Cody stewing in confusion.

* * *

Bailey sat uncomfortably on her bed trying to concentrate on the book in her hands, but all the words either kept clumping together in the middle of the page or going straight over her head. There was far too much on her mind for her to successfully channel any of her scholastic abilities, and besides from that, there was a constant rumbling sound emitting from the ship's engine that was completely rocking her focus.

Amongst all else, London still hadn't returned from her day trip in Hollywood, though, that was no big deal - she was probably just off annoying Mr. Moesby or one of the ship's many other employees. But the twins, on the other hand, that was a big deal. Maybe it didn't seem that way to Cody, but there was something about the way that Zack had reacted after their argument that made Bailey worry. Zack was never one to get upset over a stupid, little fight.

Just then, as if on cue, Bailey looked up to see Cody barge through the door of her cabin.

"I cannot believe Zack!" he declared upon his entrance.

Bailey rolled her eyes, "What did I tell you?"

"I don't get it," he began, sitting next to Bailey on her bed, "he's gone an a total tirade just because of what I said to him."

Bailey frowned, "Do you even remember what you said to him?"

"No, but what does that matter? Either way, he's still lost it."

Bailey shifted in surprise at the tone of Cody's voice, almost insulted on Zack's behalf.

"Anyway, whatever," Cody went on, "Look, I've only got another half hour or so left of my shift, you wanna' come keep me company?"

Bailey sighed softly to herself at Cody's careless change of topic and opened her mouth to reluctantly accept her boyfriend's offer, but suddenly froze as an idea formed in her head. She smiled at her own genius and then leapt off her bed, folding her arms across her chest.

"You know, Cody, I do have other things to do tonight. In case you've forgotten, Miss. Tutweiller gave us, like, a stack of homework bigger than Grammy's new barn that we have to have finished by tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know," Cody replied slightly stirred by Bailey's abrupt change in attitude, "I just thought -"

"Yeah, well you thought wrong."

Cody's jaw dropped, "Bailey?"

"Ugh, God, Cody, we're not attached at the hip! We don't have to spend every waking second of the day together! Why don't you do me a favour and just leave?!"

"Bailey, I don't understa -"

"Stop."

Cody's brow wrinkled having being cut of by Bailey again, and his perplexity only increased as his girlfriend's expression then softened, as if the random outburst of anger had never even existed.

"That's exactly how you sounded to Zack."

Cody paused, both his physical self and his voice box completely frozen. His appearance then dropped as he finally realised what Bailey had been getting at throughout her spontaneous eruption.

"Oh my God, really?"

Bailey nodded sombrely.

Cody groaned and pushed his hair out of his face, extremely frustrated with himself, "Man, I gotta' go find him."

Bailey grinned to herself again as she watched Cody dash hastily out of her room on his way back to the Sky Deck in search of his brother. She tilted her head in confusion, however, while Cody impulsively turned on his heels and ran back into the room. Gently, he placed another kiss on her lips.

"Thanks," he spoke sincerely before about facing, running out of the cabin and up the corridor.

* * *

The brisk breeze up on deck was certainly a lot colder than it had been no more than fifteen minutes ago, but nothing was stopping Cody's quick pace as he sped amongst the various people on his search for Zack.

The ship rocked from side to side and continued to grumble along as Cody's eyes then fell onto the image of his brother slipping himself into his jacket and shutting up the juice bar for the night.

"Zack!" Cody instantly called.

The older twin looked up, rolling his eyes at the sight of his brother, as he then turned around and walked off in the exact opposite direction that he normally would.

"Back for seconds?" he yelled back while Cody insisted on following him.

"No, I came to apologise."

A glimmer of hope thrived inside of Cody as Zack froze at the unexpected apology and turned around.

"I didn't realise that what I said upset you so much," Cody went on.

Zack scoffed, "I'm not a fragile mess, Cody!"

"I know that, but it was still completely unfair," the younger twin argued, "and I didn't mean any of it."

Zack fell into silent hesitation for a moment, "Yeah, well, it's like you said; we're not going to spend every day of the rest of our lives around each other."

Cody's expression dropped, "So, what are you saying?"

Zack remained completely quiet.

Cody frantically searched his brother's exterior for any sign of what he was thinking, but his vacant appearance and the prolonged silence did nothing but eat away at the younger twin's initial feelings of redemption as it began to seem less and less likely that Zack was going to say anything at all.

"So, that's it?" Cody recommenced, "After everything we've been through; all that we've ever done for each other - this is really how you want to leave it?"

The panicked tone in Cody's voice caused Zack's face to soften for a brief moment. It wasn't like either of them to turn a stupid argument into such a huge upsurge, and as much as what Cody had proclaimed to his brother earlier may have originally seemed like exactly what he wanted and how he truly felt, there was undoubtedly a twinge of some sort in Cody's current state that told Zack totally otherwise.

Heaving another sigh, Zack took a step away from Cody and opened his mouth, his breath of anticipated words gracing his lips, until suddenly, a roar was both heard and sensed from below them.

In what felt like a single second, the decks beneath where the boys were standing began to rumble and make the same unnerving growling noise as the ship's engine. In the next instant, before anyone on the S.S. Tipton had the opportunity to question the sick sounding clatter, an almighty explosion came from the ship's bottom most deck. Through the severe heat and flames that blasted from below, the intensified power of the engine set off a chain reaction throughout the boat, as deck by deck, the blazed combustion made it's way up the vertical base of the ship, destroying each and every floor board, wall and rooftop in it's path.

Cody coughed and spluttered, reluctantly lifting himself up from where he had fallen on the deck after the primary blast from below him. As he clawed his way up to his feet, using the side railing to assist him, Cody could sense that through all the fire, smoke and dust that all the passengers around him were in utter hysteria. Of course he wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but whatever it was, he was amazed that the bow and front half of the boat where he stood had remained afloat. The ear-piercing sounds of terrified screams rang throughout the twin's body as he stumbled forward, trying to see through the thick smoke, only to find in shock that he was dancing around the edge of the boat, barely keeping his balance above the fierce waves beneath him.

Before Cody had any possible chance to configure all the different fearful factors that surrounded him, his eyes abruptly widened in horror as he spotted the back half of the ship – now a good metre or two away from where he was placed – obviously completely detached by the explosion on a rapid descent into the ocean; his twin brother teetering over the jagged rim of the former Sky Deck.

"Zack!"

The older twin ran a hand over a fast growing lump on the back of his head as he sat up and opened his eyes, ultimately discovering the situation he was caught in.

"Cody!" he yelled back in equal fright.

Cody clambered as close to the edge of the ship's bow as he could get and stretched his arm as far out as humanly possible, "Give me your hand!"

Zack immediately obliged and imitated his brother's movement, extending his arm so far he could feel the extreme pulse and tract of all his muscles and tendons.

Cody held his breath, trying his absolute hardest to contain the raw emotion inside of him screaming to let itself free in the form of hot, scared tears. His heart skipped a beat, as did Zack's, when the twins felt the incredible sensation of their fingertips touching. The warmth given off from the other urged the two to push themselves that bit further to any extent possible for Zack's safety, but as they both immensely feared, the blissful sentiment was short lived.

As the fast rate of the submerging stern maintained its steady downward pace, much like the many other ill-fated passengers, Zack felt his grip slip ever so slightly away from his twin while he, too, disappeared beneath the murky, choppy ocean waves.

"No!" Cody cried, "Zack!"

Fallen debris continued to fly from the higher decks and more smaller explosions broke out around him as Cody watched the taunting bubbles from the stern of the ship blow up amongst the dark, salty water where Zack was quite probably still being swallowed and thrown about by the hash, foamy swash and backwash of the ocean.

Without stopping to think, Cody took in a deep breath and then lunged at the open edge of the ship, daring to dive in after his brother, until he was hastily yanked back by a strong grip from behind him.

"Cody!" Kirby shouted over the top of the many other noises on the destroyed cruise liner, "You need to come with me now!"

"No!" Cody screamed, "Not without Zack!"

"The engines in the front of the ship are still powering along and help is on the way!" Kirby urged.

"No!" Cody repeated. He snapped his head around and fixed his tear stained vision to the place where he had last seen his big brother as Kirby grabbed him around the torso, "I've got to save Zack! I _need_ to save my brother!"

The higher most point of the ship then immersed beneath the water as both that and Cody's chances of Zack's well being vanished into nothing.

"Zack!!"

* * *

**Without knowing what to say, I think I'll skip straight to an 'I'm sorry!' **

**I always knew this was going to happen, and I was dropping many little subtle hints as I went along, but to be completely honest, I was sorta hoping that no-one would see it coming. The rest of the story is kind of planned, but mostly not.**

**I decided to do this mainly because I really wanted a go of working with Cody. In my other stories (and since I do, admittedly, favour ZackieKins) I noticed that I include him in alot of main plot lines, or whatever. So now that he may or may not be out of the picture (without giving anything away :P) I'd like to see how I fair with writing around just Cody, who I do love just as much :)**

**I also find it necessary to mention that I know absolutely noting about ships or how they work. But they don't call it 'fiction' for nothing, right?  
**

**I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter - any questions, comments or flat out insults will be kindly accepted :)**

**Thanks for reading guys, I'll try to update as soon as I can, again, depending on which story I feel like writing for :)**

**Reneyyyyyyyy x.  
**


	4. Lost Connections

'There was nothing in sight but memories left abandoned  
There was nowhere to hide, the ashes fell like snow  
And the ground caved in between where we were standing  
And your voice was all I heard that I get what I deserve?'  
_**New Divide - Linkin Park.

* * *

**_

**Chapter Four - Lost Connections.**

**

* * *

**

Bailey stirred slightly and forced a peaceful yawn, sinking further down where she rested. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open as the light streaming in all around her brought a calm feeling of warmth and tranquility to her body. Then everything hit her.

Those first few delightful moments of waking up and failing to remember anything from the day previous shattered to pieces for Bailey as she gasped silently to herself and rolled over in the soft, single bed and touched the spot beside her, only to find that she was alone. She blinked at the blinding sunlight gleaming through the hotel window and hastily sat up, spinning around. Her heart sank as she cast her eyes upon the image of Cody sitting frozen in a chair at the other end of the room, gazing blankly out the window.

Stifling a quiet sigh, Bailey uncurled herself from the white sheets and stepped onto the carpeted floor beneath her, taking a glance at the second single bed in the room that was meant to have been Woody's.

Upon arriving at the L.A. Tipton, Mr. Moesby had assigned the devastated Seven Seas High students their rooms accordingly and took time to make perfectly clear that boys and girls were still not to share rooms together. But after everything that had happened in the hours beforehand, there was no possible way that Bailey was going to leave Cody on his own. Since London had her own suite on the top floor of the hotel, Bailey had originally been allocated a room with Addison, however, it didn't take much effort to convince Woody to switch with her.

The last thing Bailey remembered from the night before was falling asleep comfortably in Cody's warm, brave embrace after the news of Zack and the many other victims of the ship's capsize had made the rounds through all the remaining students and passengers, but as she watched him now, glass-eyed and solidified in his seat, she couldn't help but feel a wave of nerves take over the air between her and her boyfriend.

"Cody?" she spoke softly into the quiet. When there was no response, Bailey walked closer toward where Cody sat and knelt down in front of him, taking his hands, "Cody?" she repeated. Again, Cody's vision remained on a beeline out the window and he spoke nothing in reply to his girlfriend.

Bailey sighed again and pushed her fringe out of her face. "Cody," she stated, obviously defiant in getting a reaction from him, "Please say something. I know how much you must be hurting right now... well, I mean, I don't understand how you're feeling, but… I just want to… I…"

Holding in the sensation of tears welling up in her eyes, Bailey ultimately trailed off at a loss of what to say. She gazed up at Cody again, though, still, he hadn't moved a muscle. Bailey had never been so close to Cody but felt so far away from him at the same time, and after everything that was happening around them at that moment, more than anything the emotion scared her.

Feeling the urge to break the eerie silence that had once again overwhelmed the room, Bailey stood up and took her hands away from Cody, wrapping them around his neck and eventually climbing into his lap. After a single instant, Bailey choked out a sob of relief as she felt Cody's arms slink around her waist without any hesitation and hug her tightly. He heaved a heavy breath against her shoulder and simply held her silently.

All of a sudden, three soft knocks echoed from the front door of the hotel room. Bailey snapped her head up and gazed at the door before switching her vision to the clock that hung on the wall, finding that it read 8:40 a.m. She quickly wiped her eyes and gently stroked the back of Cody's neck before she reluctantly stood up, "Come in!"

A mere second or two after Bailey's voice resounded across the room, the front door swung open to reveal Mr. Moesby and London standing on the other side of it.

Bailey's jaw dropped, "Mr. Moesby," she began nervously, clearly having spent the night with Cody, "we can ex –"

"What happened to Zack?" Cody finally spoke, breaking his silence and leaping out of his seat, "Have you heard anything? What's going on? Is –"

Cutting off the long awaited sound of Cody's voice, Moesby held his hand up gesturing for the frantic teen to stop. He glanced at Bailey, restraining his anger at her for spending the night in Cody's room, and then pointed towards the door.

"Bailey, London, would you give me a moment alone with Cody, please?"

The two girls immediately obliged, as London shot Cody a sympathetic smile before they both left the room, closing the door behind them.

Bailey groaned in distress and pushed her hair back between her fingers as she leant into the wall of the hallway.

"Are you ok?" London asked.

Bailey smiled at the genuine tone in the heiress' voice, "As much as I can be. You?"

London shrugged her shoulders in reply. Zack was one of the only people she knew so personally who went down with the back end of the ship, and even through her usual self-centered ways, she knew that the situation was not solely based on her and how she was feeling.

"What about Cody?" she then asked tentatively.

Bailey sighed, picturing the broken image of Cody in her mind again, "He's a mess," she answered shakily, "I mean, I was so relieved to find him last night after the rescue team and emergency crew helped everyone on the front half of the ship back here, but when I saw how hysterical he was, I knew something was wrong. When he told me we both just cried."

An awkward silence fell over the corridor, leaving London not knowing what to say.

"Anyway," Bailey went on, slightly embarrassed by her emotional outburst, "Does Moesby know something? About Zack?"

London nodded, "He wouldn't tell me, though. He wants to tell Cody first."

"No!"

The girls both jumped as they heard Cody's voice boom from the other side of the door. Bailey dashed back in see her boyfriend angrily pacing the room and Moesby trying to console him.

"Cody, please –"

"It's not true!"

"What isn't?" London opted to ask as she followed Bailey in.

"He thinks Zack's dead!" Cody spat accusingly at Moesby.

"That's not what I said," Moesby argued in his defence, "Just let me explain."

Bailey stepped forward and took a tender hold of Cody's arm, putting a halt to his frenzied strides.

"The hospital where all of the found survivors were air lifted to got in contact with me this morning," Moesby began, "Their phone lines have been going off the hook – family members, friends, not to mention the media. Plus, the whole area around the facility is constantly filled to the brink with citizens and paparazzi wanting to know what's going on. They're not getting nearly as much work done as they should be, so they've officially closed all their doors and phone lines for people related to the S.S. Tipton capsize until they've made positive I.D.'s on exactly who anyone is. Now, you all already know that until your parents or any other guardians can take charge of you that you are all still my and Miss. Tutweiller's responsibility. All of the other passengers who were on the ship who were taking part in the West Coast Cruise have been refunded whatever expenses they haven't used by Mr. Tipton and have been told they are free to go as they please."

"We heard all this last night," Cody interjected, "Get to the part about the ship."

Bailey squeezed Cody's arm, "What exactly happened to the ship, Mr. Moesby?"

"It was an air pressure malfunction in one of the ship's main engines," he explained, "That's why there were different rumbling noises being emitting by it before the explosion set off the chain reaction. I was told it probably also explains why it was so humid in your cabins toward the bottom of the ship."

"It was overheating way down there," Bailey pointed out, "Heat rises."

"So if all those different things were going on, why didn't anybody notice that there was something wrong with the ship?" London asked.

Moesby shook his head somberly, "That matter is still being looked into. We should just be thankful that so many people on the ship made distress calls and that the ship's navigator was able to give our exact location to the emergency crews."

"Thankful?" Cody repeated in what sounded like disgust, "I have absolutely no idea where my brother is!"

"Cody," Moesby recommenced sternly, "I told you, when I spoke to the hospital this morning I asked them directly if they had a Zackary Martin in their custody. They said that none of their patients had that I.D. on them, and when I described him to them they confirmed that they hadn't retrieved anyone of that description either."

Cody sighed loudly and angrily as he fell back to a stubborn silence.

"Over five hundred people went down on the ship, Cody," Moesby continued, trying to make him see sense, "Not all of them were rescued."

"I don't care!" Cody explained with fury, "He's not dead!"

Bailey flinched as Cody them ripped himself away from her grip and tore out of the hotel room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

It had been a couple of years now since Cody and his family had made their previous visit to Hollywood, but since then, if one thing hadn't changed, it was the uncanny matching décor and furniture arrangement of L.A.'s Tipton and the Tipton in Boston.

Cody sat in the identically arranged lobby and gazed around the space, picturing his and Zack's many different adventures that they had shared in their younger days back at their hotel home. It killed Cody inside to think how quickly all of that had changed.

The elevator behind where the younger twin was sitting then landed with a 'ding' as Bailey stepped out between the dividing doors.

Cody looked up at her as she made her approach and instantly felt vaguely embarrassed to be sitting in there still in his towel boy uniform while Bailey had changed into some clothes she'd borrowed from London that had been flown in for her.

"Hi, sweetie," he barely spoke.

Bailey smiled, glad to hear her boyfriend's voice in even the slightest. She took a seat next to him on the lobby lounge and placed her hand on his knee, "Are you ok?"

Cody sighed and gazed at Bailey obliviously through his red eyes. Bailey bit her lip, "Sorry."

Cody shrugged and draped an arm around her, pulling her closer towards him, "It's ok."

"Your parents rang Moesby just now. They're catching the next flight out here."

Cody furrowed his brow at this news, "What did they say?"

Bailey hesitated, "Concerning…?"

Cody's frown deepened, "Concerning the fact that Moesby thinks that Zack wasn't rescued?" He waited impatiently as Bailey seemed to still be feeling indecisive about her answer, "Bailey?"

Looking up nervously at Cody, Bailey sighed, "They said they were coming to get you and then you were going to go home."

Cody's jaw dropped as he yanked his arm away and stood up, "So they believe what the hospital said? They think he's dead, too?!"

"Cody, please," Bailey urged, "Maybe you should…" She stopped as she realised what she was saying.

"I should what?" Cody continued, "Think about? Accept it?!"

Bailey cupped her mouth with her hand as Cody tore her words apart and people began noticing their dispute, "Cody, I'm sorry," she said, her eyes once again warming with tears, "I didn't think, ok, I just… I'm sorry."

Cody pushed his bangs aside and slowly nodded his head. He then ventured his way through his un-tucked shirt, shoving his hands into his pockets, and then turned towards the front door of the hotel.

"I'm gonna' go for a walk."

"Well, let me –"

"I wanna' be by myself," he sharply cut in before Bailey could offer to tag along. She cringed in dejection as she watched Cody make his way to the door. He took a few heated steps, but soon came to an abrupt stop, sighed to himself in disappointment, and then held his hand out.

Still feeling somewhat apprehensive, Bailey advanced towards Cody and latched onto his hand, walking out onto the busy L.A. street by his side.

"_I'm_ sorry," Cody instantly spoke, "I don't mean to be pushing you away, really, I don't. It's just –"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Cody," Bailey interrupted, "I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in your position. If you ever want time to be by yourself to think, all you have to do is ask."

Cody simply nodded again as the two prolonged to walk along in silence until they came to a busy café at the end of the block and decided to take a seat. At least everybody else around would be too concerned with their own lives to even give the teenaged couple a second glance.

"Were you up all night?" Bailey probed.

Cody looked up from where he was twiddling his thumbs on the table.

"Sorry, if you don't want to talk about it," Bailey spoke.

"No, seriously, it's ok. I'm glad that I have you to talk to."

Bailey nodded, waiting anxiously for what her boyfriend would say next. After what felt like an eternity, Cody took a deep breath, "I didn't sleep," he began half-heartedly, "I _couldn't_ sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I'm there again."

Bailey shuddered, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end at the words pouring from Cody's heart, "Let it all out, sweetie," she spoke soothingly, reaching out across the table to him.

Cody took her hand, chuckling a little in pure apathy, "How? I can't cry anymore, I can't. I'm all out of tears. All I can do is think about it. It was just like, one minute he was standing right in front of me, and then the next… he was gone." Cody paused for a brief moment and swallowed, "I keep asking myself if there was anything else I should've done."

"You can't think like that, Cody," Bailey urged, "What happened wasn't your fault – it wasn't anybody's fault. You did everything you could. Nobody expected anything more from you."

Cody locked eyes with Bailey and, what looked like for a splint second, smiled, "Thanks for being here for me Bailey." The grin faded, "I don't know how I'd manage without you. I barely can as it is."

Cody's voice was faint again as he glanced back down to his lap, "I keep trying to find a connection, or something, to Zack. To let me know he's ok. I know it sounds weird, but –"

"No, I get it," Bailey affirmed, "But?"

Cody heaved another huge sigh. He frowned, remaining still for a passing minute and tried to find a way to loop all his words and thoughts together.

"He's **not** dead," Cody reinforced, the tone in his voice firmer than ever, "I'd know if my own twin brother was alive or dead. _But_…"

In one final instant, Cody looked back up and fixed his vision to the concerned features of Bailey's face, "…I don't think he's ok, either."

* * *

**I think it's amazing how music can have such a huge inspiration on the stories you write, and now would be the time to mention that the song quoted at the beginning of this chapter, 'New Divide' by Linkin Park, is the one song that pretty much set up this entire story for me. I got an evil thought while listening to it one day and asked myself, "What do you reckon would happen if I made the ground between the twins cave in?" **

**Hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, or not, depending on how you feel about no sure answer concerning whether Zack is ok or not. Sorry :( LOL. And what do we think about Cody's reaction after everything that has gone on? Or Bailey's support for him? I tried to write that really well, so any feedback there would be awesome.**

**I also hope that the explanation of what actually happened to the ship makes some form of sense. Again, I have absolutely no idea how massive cruise liners work, so I more or less just made up everything 'factual' that I included in the story.**

**Anywho, feel free to leave me plenty of reviews *hint* haha :) Anything that you find confusing, just ask me what I was going on about, lol.**

**And a happy 2010 to everybody if I haven't wished you so already! Hope the entire holiday season has been one to remember :D Till next time, guys.**

**Reneyyyyyy x.**


	5. Truly Crazy

'I don't wanna live to waste another day  
Underneath the shadow of mistakes I've made  
'Cuz I feel like I'm breaking inside.'  
_**Breaking Inside - Shinedown.**_

_**

* * *

**_**Chapter Five - Truly Crazy.**

**

* * *

**

Cody fixed his dazed stare straight ahead, refusing to tear his vision away from the image of Zack that gazed back at him. The usual look of mischief in the older twin's sparkling, blue eyes was nowhere to be seen, and instead was replaced with nothing but dull fear. As the ship continued on its steady rate downward, all Cody could do was watch, horrified, as Zack was swallowed up by the harsh swash of the ocean, all the while, calling out to his younger brother over and over again. _Cody…Cody…_

"Cody?"

The younger twin shook himself awake from his trance and glanced up at Bailey as she walked out of the café, holding a bottle of orange juice. He shot a double take at the metal napkin dispenser that sat in the centre of the table, only to find that Zack's image was gone, and instead he was met with nothing but his own reflection.

For the past couple of hours, Cody and Bailey had been slowly making their way throughout the streets around the L.A. Tipton, spending some well needed time together and, more or less, making the most of their time away from all the devastation at the hotel. Eventually, the two had returned to the corner café where they had started the morning. Although, unsurprisingly, neither of them were exactly feeling any better.

"Everything alright?" Bailey asked, taking a seat across from Cody.

Cody shrugged, still staring red-eyed at his own reflection.

Bailey sighed, "Well, look, I got this text from London before."

Cody took the phone out of Bailey's hand and began reading the small font across the screen;

_Baylee whre r u? Mosbi thinkz u guyz hav run off or sumthing. Call me wen u get thiz… hey! my nail polish iz the same color az my fone! LOL i gotta txt Chel-C and tell her! Srsly call! - L_

"Sounds like they're really worried, especially since Moesby thinks we've run away, or something," Bailey said, holding out her drink to Cody. He waved his hand, politely dismissing the offer.

"So, what?" he asked, "You think we should head back?"

Bailey frowned a bit, "Cody.. I don't want you to take this the wrong way, or anything," she began. Cody nodded his head. "But, you're really starting to worry me," Bailey went on, "you didn't want to be around anyone from the ship at all this morning, and now it just sorta' seems that you're acting like nothing's happened. I'm mean, you even said it yourself - Zack isn't ok."

Bailey waited for a moment, hoping not to receive a negative reaction from her boyfriend. After a few seconds, Cody simply stood up and gestured for Bailey to take his hand.

"I just…" Cody started shakily, "I just don't feel like being stuck in a building full of people trying to convince me that my brother's dead. I… don't think I can handle that."

Bailey hung her head, regretting having said anything, while the pair began to make their reluctant return to the hotel.

The circular driveway outside of the Tipton was crowded beyond all belief. Neither Cody nor Bailey had ever seen so many taxis in one place, and similarly, had never seen so many shattered, distraught people in an alike gathering. Many of the other students and passengers who had been on the S.S. Tipton were finally taking up the opportunity to leave - with or without the loved ones who had originally been with them.

Silently walking through the throng of people and into the hotel, Cody and Bailey looked up and smiled slightly seeing Woody coming out of the elevator in front of them.

"Hey, Woody," Bailey greeted softly, releasing Cody's hand from hers and pulling their friend into a gentle hug. They hadn't seen much of Woody since the previous night, or had much of a chance to make sure he was ok after the accident.

"How are you doing?" Bailey asked him.

Woody nodded his head, "Ok. Addison's still not holding up too well, though. That's why I came down here - Mr. Moesby hired a counsellor to talk to the students and I really think Addison might need the help. I think he's outside saying good-bye to some people."

Woody looked up past Bailey and in a single instant locked vision with Cody. Immediately darting his eyes away, Woody nodded his head again, "Hey, Cody," he spoke nervously, not sure of what else to say.

Cody forced a half smile and waved as a means of response. In a way, he was sort of thankful that none of his friends or teachers from the ship knew how to act around him. He still wasn't particularly in the mood to speak to anyone, besides Bailey, of course.

"There you two are!"

The three kids abruptly fell from their awkward silence as the sudden impact of Moesby's voice boomed from the front doors into the lobby.

"Where have you been?" he shot accusingly at Cody and Bailey.

Bailey bit her lip tentatively at the heated tone in Moesby's voice, while Cody simply shrugged his shoulders, "Around," he answered.

Bailey and Woody shared a concerned glance at yet another falter in Cody's usual personality.

"Right," Moesby continued, "Look, I needed to talk to you about something, Cody." He glimpsed up at Bailey and Woody for a split second and then took Cody's arm, leading him a couple of metres to the side.

Cody took him a deep breath and scanned Moesby's face, trying to read what the older man was thinking. He was ready for whatever it was he had to say.

"Cody, look," Moesby began, "your parents flight has been laid over. Your mother rang me before and told me they have no idea when they will have the chance to leave or when they're going to arrive."

Cody subtly let out a sigh of relief at the news and, again, shrugged his shoulder, "'Kay."

Moesby paused for a moment, "Good. But, uh, Cody?"

The younger twin raised an eyebrow beneath his blonde mess of hair.

"Look, this only a suggestion." Moesby seemed to hesitate for a moment, "You may have already heard about the counsellor I brought in who's been making the rounds between students and other patrons. I think it may be an idea for you to sit down and have a talk with her."

Cody's eyes widened at what he was hearing, "You what?"

"Cody?" Bailey said anxiously as she and Woody made their way back towards he and Moesby.

"Moesby thinks I need to speak to the counsellor," Cody spat, almost sounding insulted by the idea. He waited for Bailey and Woody to back up his argument, but instead furrowed his brow deeper when he was met with nothing but silence, "Bailey?"

Pushing her hair out of her face and then tenderly taking Cody's hand, Bailey sighed, "Maybe it's not such a bad idea."

"What?" Cody scoffed.

"There's obviously a lot going on up there that you're holding in," Bailey said soothingly, stroking Cody's head, "It might be good for you to talk to a professional."

"They're right," Woody agreed, "I mean, I was going to ask if Addison could have some therapy, but you might need the help a little more."

Bailey instantly felt her heart skip a beat at the boldness of Woody's blatant comment. She flinched as Cody tore himself away from her grip.

"I don't need help!" he thundered, stomping away angrily and pushing past a woman into the open elevator, "I just need my brother back!"

Bailey hugged her arms close to her chest, holding in her tears, and watched the roller doors conceal Cody behind them, while Woody and Moesby looked at each other, dumbfounded, but both obviously sharing the same apprehensive and uneasy feelings about Cody and his heart-wrenching, worsening state.

* * *

Cody kept his eyes shut tightly as the water pelting from the shower head continued to stream down his back. He wasn't sure how long he had been in there now - maybe an hour, maybe more. Some may like to argue that no-one could stand being under searing hot water for that amount of time, but the steaming droplets that Cody felt blistering against him skin simply allowed him to ignore the pain he was suffering inside and concentrate solely on every sting and twinge he felt on the outside. Once the hot water tank began to run cold, however, the younger twin sensed his blood line do the same.

Snapping himself out of whatever new trance he happened to fall into, Cody reluctantly twisted the taps off, slid open the shower door and stepped out onto the cool, tiled floor. Reaching for the baby pink coloured towel he had placed on the basin, Cody wrapped it around himself, catching his reflection in the mirror. He could definitely notice the red colour his skin had turned from the warm water, even through the fog that clouded the mirror. But that was as far as his sense of recognition went. Instead of becoming fixated with a piercing image of himself, or even Zack, the younger twin felt and saw absolutely nothing. Only emptiness.

Shaking off the thought, Cody quickly dried himself off, slipped back into his towel boy uniform and walked out into the main part of his and Bailey's hotel room. Almost instantly, Cody's eyes fell upon the image of a couple of piles of clothes resting on his bed. London.

Cody stepped forward and quickly scanned through the various labels that stared back at him. It surprised him sometimes how much the heiress actually seemed to know him. Amongst all the clothing that she had left sitting on the bed, there wasn't a single item that appeared to be overly formal, or exceedingly laid-back, either. Everything was completely casual - normal, as if to say that nothing had changed.

Just as he was considering changing into something fresh rather than staying in the same outfit he had been wearing all day and night, Cody's head snapped up at a sudden knock that echoed from the front door.

Raising an eyebrow, the younger twin strolled towards the front entry to the room and opened up the door. Standing before him out in the hallway was a youngish looking woman. She had short, dark brown hair that almost touched her shoulders, sea green eyes, and was wearing a plain white shirt with a high waisted business-type skirt.

"Cody, I take it?"

Cody remained silent as he continued to study the woman in front of him.

"My name is Bronte. Bronte O'Kell," she went on, handing Cody what appeared to be a business card. The younger twin's eyes skimmed over the piece of laminated cardboard in his hand, when the word 'psychiatrist' suddenly jumped out at him.

"Mr. Moesby sent me up to see of you're ok. Is it alright if I come in?"

Cody quickly began to hesitate. Bronte seemed nice enough, he supposed, but he did recall distinctly saying he didn't need to talk to a counsellor, or anyone else for that matter.

Eventually shrugging his shoulders, Cody simply turned around and walked back into his room, leaving the door open for Bronte to follow him.

The counsellor softly closed the wooden door behind her, "How are you?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Cody turned back to face her, "Peachy."

Ignoring the sarcasm spilling from the younger twin, Bronte licked her lips, "I was talking to your girlfriend just before. Bailey, is it?"

"Yeah," Cody instantly sniped in reply.

"She seems very worried about you," Bronte persisted, taking a seat on one of the two matching lounge chairs, "Do you want to come and sit down?"

"Why? So you can start telling me what I should be thinking, or whatever it is you guys do?"

Cody didn't buy Bronte's expression of surprise brought on by his sharp tone for a single second. Maybe she really did genuinely care about the fact that so many of his friends were concerned for his well-being, but that didn't change anything from where he stood. Deep down Cody knew that all Bronte was there to do was her job and to get him to talk, no matter how much probing and uneasy questions she had put him through in the process.

"I just want to talk to you."

Rolling his eyes, Cody reluctantly took a seat opposite her, as the two fell into a brief silence.

"Your friends all seem really nice."

Cody remained speechless. He saw no use in either agreeing with or contradicting her statement.

"You know they all want to do their best to support you."

"Look, can we just cut the small talk?" Cody then snapped, groaning in annoyance, "I know you're here to talk about Zack."

The mention of his brother's name left a pining taste in Cody's mouth. As he registered the stunned look that had welcomed itself across Bronte's face at his utter blatancy, he impulsively decided to himself that she wasn't here to make him feel better about Zack or encourage him that his twin was alive. She was only here to convince him otherwise - just like everyone else.

"We don't have to talk about your brother or the accident or any of that if you don't want to," Bronte urged, having found her voice, "I just want to try to understand -"

"Well there's your first mistake," Cody gruffly interjected, "No-one can possibly understand what I'm feeling. Not you, not Moesby, not my friends and not Bailey. _No-one_."

"We don't have to entirely understand what you're going through to try and help you, though," the counsellor forced, "What you're feeling is -"

Cody abruptly felt a chord snap against the dull throbbing of his heart, "There you go! Just like I said you would - you're trying to get inside my head and twist everything up and tell me what I'm feeling!"

Before another word could escape his lips or another thought could cross the mixed up roads of his mind, Cody leapt up from his chair and leaned his full body weight against the window, gazing out blankly through the glass down to the busy streets below.

Couldn't these people realise that the last thing he wanted or needed was to be spoken to in a way that implied he was feeling and acting completely unreasonably? Everything that had already happened to him prior to these last few minutes was enough to make anyone lose their mind, but the last thing Cody needed to hear was that he was slowly beginning to mislay his last possible piece of sanity through no longer being able to think for himself.

"Cody," Bronte resumed, "you need to try to calm down. Everyone who cares about you is extremely concerned about how anxious you're starting to act."

"Well, I'm sure if they were in my position they'd feel pretty anxious, too."

Hearing these last words emit from the young teen's mouth, Bronte tentatively bit her lip, "I hear that you and Zack had an argument right before the accident."

Cody froze. A mountain of images instantly began to fly back through his mind, spinning around and around, and selfishly taking up every part of sense and awareness he could muster.

Resisting the desire to allow more impetuous tears to flow down his cheeks, Cody turned back around and faced Bronte once more.

"You know there's no need to feel guilty."

Cody scoffed at the counsellor's argument.

Bronte felt her manicured nail dig into her arm in frustration where they sat folded in her lap, "Well, what do you think he would be doing if the roles were reversed?"

The question required no deliberation on Cody's behalf, "I know he sure as hell wouldn't let himself go stir crazy in this hotel! He'd be out there looking for me!"

Cody's eyes suddenly widened at his own words. Before he could even begin to comprehend their meaning, he spun back around to re-face the window.

As he gawked at the reflective glass in front of him, the image that Cody had lost swiftly reappeared before him. The emptiness he had witnessed in the bathroom mirror was gone, and now Cody stood, once again, face to face with Zack. The words that he himself had just spoken continued to revolve through his mind as he sensed a devious grin creep across the illustration of Zack's face. A smile that basically screamed at him what the older twin's plan would be if, like Bronte had said, he were in Cody's shoes.

His own face now out of Bronte's line of vision, a determined half-smile made it's own way from corner to corner of Cody's expression, while the counsellor's continued words were carelessly drowned out by his own thoughts.

* * *

Bailey stepped out into the cool Autumn breeze and casually looked around. It was almost eight in the evening now, and nobody in the hotel had seen or heard from Cody in a while. The farm girl simply guessed that he was probably off sitting somewhere by himself, thinking. But as Bailey stood and continued to gawk around the outside area of the hotel, it was quickly become apparent to her that Cody was nowhere in sight.

Hugging her baby blue jacket closer to her, Bailey took one final glance at the front steps and shot a fleeting look up the street. Out of nowhere, she was forced to do a double take as she squinted her eyes at a figure walking up the road, away from the hotel.

"Cody?"

The sound of Bailey's voice echoing up the street shattered Cody's internal frozen state. Trying his best to ignore the image of the look of hurt and confusion that pierced Cody's mind and would surely be spread across his girlfriend's face, the younger twin stepped up his pace and maintained walking alongside the gutter further and further away from the Tipton.

Bailey slowly began to shake her head. Cody must have heard her. Why else would he have started walking faster? Quickly beginning to feel slightly frantic, Bailey opened her mouth again, "Cody!"

The younger twin was sure that no-one would have recognised him. He was wearing a pair of blue denim jeans and a large, dark green hoodie. It merely seemed to have slipped his mind that Bailey was that Kansas farm girl who could notice a single piece of wool out of place on any sheep.

Jolting in shock, Cody jumped at the fierce grip he felt wrench onto his arm and twirl him around. Coming face to face with the exact appearance he had pictured in his mind - though, perhaps she was slightly more worn out than he had imagined, having ran to have caught up with him - Cody swallowed nervously and shot his vision to the floor, unable to stand the tears that were gradually welling up in Bailey's eyes.

"Please, please tell me that you weren't going to run off and leave me here. _Please_."

In the words that Bailey had spoken; yes. That was exactly what Cody had planned to do. He didn't necessarily want to – he didn't _want_ to leave Bailey all alone in this nightmare they were both unwillingly a part of. But for reasons Cody believed that she couldn't possibly ever understand, he had to do it. He _had_ to leave her behind.

Hesitation consuming him to the brink, Cody timidly gazed back up at the pleading tone in Bailey's voice and cleared his throat to a whisper, "I'm sorry."

As soon as the three tiny syllables left the younger twin's mouth, he reeled in a sharp sting of pain that glided across his face as Bailey slapped him, hard, and allowed warm, salty tears to flow openly down her cheeks.

"How could you?! _How could you_?!"

Cody brushed away the aching twinge that still flared against his cheek and grabbed Bailey's sides with each of his hands, "Bailey, -"

"No!" Bailey instantly protested, pushing her boyfriend away, "You're not the only one who's hurting, you know, Cody! I can't believe you were going to leave without saying anything to me!"

"Because I knew that if I saw you I wouldn't be able to walk away!" Cody argued, carefully placing a soft grip back on Bailey's arms. He brought himself to a pause as each of his varied overwhelming thoughts tried to bring themselves to his awareness, while Cody himself attempting to loop some words alongside them. He inhaled a deep breath, "I'm going to find Zack."

Bailey's expression broadened in disbelief, "What?"

"He needs me."

"_I_ need you!" the farm girl snapped, "I need to know that you're safe!"

Cody simply shrugged his shoulders, "He'd do the same for me."

Still sniffling gently and making an effort to refrain any more water works for the time being, Bailey shook her head back and forth in greater incredulity.

It was almost as if Zack was there and standing right before her. She wasn't used to Cody acting this irrational – it was something she had never seen before. However, if there was something that she knew for sure about her boyfriend, it was that once he made a decision, he barely ever went back on it.

"Where exactly are you planning on going?" she asked uncertainly.

"The hospital, where all the… _casualties_ were taken. I know what it's called. All I have to do is find it."

Bailey heaved a sigh. The joint emotions of conviction and informality that utilized their full use in the younger twin's tone formed to make an uneasy settling in her stomach. She halfheartedly suspected that there was absolutely nothing that would change his mind, but similarly, there wasn't anything that could possibly tell her if Cody would be ok out on the unfamiliar streets of Los Angeles all by himself, either. The two factors definitely didn't help subside the sentiments of sadness and distress that were stitched together in her heart.

Sighing again, and raking her fingers back through her hair in what may well have been a moment of utter madness, Bailey licked her lips, "I'm coming with you."

Cody's jaw dropped, "What? No you're not! Anything could happen out there."

"Exactly!" Bailey urged sternly, "Either you let me come with you, or I'll run back to the hotel and tell Mr. Moesby what you're doing right now."

Cody fell to a silent defeat, trying to rack his brain for an argument of extra persuasion. Bailey noticed this in an instant. She wouldn't be able to stand it if Cody ever attempted to lie to her again, whether it was for her own good or not. And as mad as she still may have been with him, she couldn't even begin to shake the feelings of worry that built up inside of her at the thought of Cody disappearing on his own. The number of potential dangers that lurked around each and every corner was immense, but Bailey was one hundred percent positive that she would be ok, as long as she could confidently hold her faith in Cody.

"Can I trust you?"

The dull shade in Cody's eyes shattered into reality as he sharply locked his vision on his girlfriend, "Of course you can." He took her hands in his and brought them up to his face, kissing them softly as Bailey nodded her head without delay. Opening up his arms, Bailey then instantly fell into his embrace, breaking out into a few more noiseless sobs against his shoulder.

Glancing back towards the hotel, Cody's eyes squinted to discover that there was still no-one who knew he or Bailey in the area. That was enough for him to cement his decision to leave, now, before anyone with any position of authority had the chance to pop up and change his mind for him.

He soothingly rubbed Bailey's back, "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right, Bails?"

The younger twin breathed out a sigh of relief as he felt his Southern Belle nod into the crook of his neck.

"Good." While his eyes still darted all around in paranoia, Cody removed his arms from Bailey's torso and draped one over her shoulders, leisurely beginning to lead her away from the street where the Tipton sat, "Let's go, sweetie."

* * *

**I'm baaaaack :) Who missed me?!**

**Sorry it's been like 50.8 million years since I updated this story. I hope the wait was worth it.**

**So, now Cody and Bailey are on the run in the hopes of finding Zack safe and alive. What could possibly go wrong?**

**I'd love to hear what you guys thought, so remember to leave a review. They make me smile quite muchly :)**

**Till next time guys, and I promise it definitely won't be as long. I think. :)**

**Reneyyyyyyyyy x.  
**


	6. Whatever It Takes

'To live, and not to breathe  
is to die in tragedy.  
To run, to run away  
to find what you believe.'  
_**Movement V - Tales of Another Broken Home.  
Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day.**_

* * *

**Chapter Six - Whatever It Takes. **

* * *

Bailey sat on the cold, concrete footpath, her legs crossed in the gutter, as she continued to watch Cody pace back and forth a couple of metres away from her trying to hail a taxi. It was nearing on nine o'clock already, and although there weren't as many people out and about in the L.A. streets as the younger twin and his girlfriend may have suspected – being that it was a Sunday night and the fact stood that everyone had to get up early for work the next morning – there was still enough activity going on that would prevent the two teens from standing out.

A few soft specks of gentle rain tenderly graced Bailey's face while her head persisted on flipping and twisting her thoughts all about, causing the dull throb of a headache to explode in the back of her mind.

Words couldn't begin to describe how worried she was about Cody. There was no possible way that he was thinking straight – even if that was the only bit of truth he had left to hold in himself, there was no way that he was. Bailey had never seen or heard him act so irrational in all their time together. She was certain that she knew him well enough to recognise when he was allowing his reckless side to seep through, and as much as the thought scared her, she knew that now was one of those times.

"Finally!" Cody scoffed, gaining Bailey's attention. She shot her head up just in time to see a yellow taxi pull up at the curb where Cody stood.

As the farm girl walked over to join him, Cody leant against the driver's seat door and nodded to the cabbie.

"Where to, kid?"

Cody pulled out his wallet and quickly took a look through it, finding two hundred dollar bills and a twenty. "How much will it cost to get to Newberry Hospital?"

The cab driver raised an eyebrow, "Ok, sure, lemme' just check."

Cody turned to Bailey and smiled as the cabbie leaned over and glanced at the metre that sat next to the car radio, before twirling back around to face the two teens, "That'll be about three-hundred and fifty bucks."

Cody and Bailey both felt their jaws fly down to the ground, "What?!"

"Sorry, kids, Newberry's about two and half hours from here."

"Two and half hours?" Cody repeated in disbelief, "But that's where all the injured passengers from the S.S. Tipton capsize were taken. Why so far away?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the cabbie scratched his balding head, "Not enough room around here, I 'spose. Or work. It's the same problem all over the west – there aren't enough beds in the hospitals or available nurses and doctors working there. All those victims from that cruise accident had to go some place where there was room and help for all of them. Newberry was just the closest location."

Cody slowly shook his head in defeat. He knew that going after Zack wasn't going to be the easiest task in the world, but he never suspected for a minute that he and Bailey were going to be forced to cross half the state of California just to find him.

The rain was starting to fall slightly heavier now, the cool sensation of it mixing in with the warm tears that were beginning to build up in Bailey's eyes again, "Well, what do you think we should do?" she asked, her tone on the verge of pleading.

The older man fell into a silent moment of hesitation, rubbing the thin stubble that dappled his face, "There's sure to be a bus service that'll take you out there, or to a train station at least. You'll find your way."

Cody sighed. That wasn't exactly the answer he was looking for. Taking a side glance at his girlfriend, Cody could tell that the last thing Bailey wanted was to take a journey into the unknown roads of the city with nothing but a slim hope that they would even be successful in finding Zack at all, let alone alive. But, as selfish as it may have been, the younger twin was not going to let this bump in the road stop him from what he had left the safety of the L.A. Tipton to do.

"Thank you," he spoke firmly to the taxi driver.

Then, without uttering another word, he flicked his head around and fixed his gaze back on Bailey. The yellow taxi gradually pulled away from the curb and tore off down the busy street, while Bailey's eyes locked with Cody's.

After a long minute or two, the younger Martin heaved his shoulders up and let them fall back into place, "I'm still going, Bailey. I need to."

A breath of disappointment emitted from Bailey's lips. As much as that may have been the exact statement that she expected to leave her boyfriend's mouth, it still pained her to hear it.

"Well then, I guess I'm coming, too." Cody's eyes narrowed slightly at the unsure tone that coated Bailey's voice. The farm girl rolled her eyes, "I'm not leaving, Cody. No matter what happens, I'm going wherever you go."

The two teens remained solidified in a quiet hush, constantly being interrupted by the sound of car horns honking angrily and young adults laughing and having a wild time in the clubs and restaurants nearby. But, nevertheless, a sincere, yet, small smile crept across Cody's face as he took Bailey's hand back in his and the two set off back along the walkway without making a sound.

* * *

London slowly walked up the corridor of the L.A. Tipton's nineteenth floor, head down, trying to find an interest in the intricately designed, beige carpet beneath her feet. Usually, this would be an all too easy task, but at that precise moment, the heiress found that there was too much else on her mind to form any flow of mere concentration.

She was on her way down to Cody's room to check on he and Bailey, and though she wasn't exactly sure why, the two younger teens had been dwelling on her mind all day. It was an annoying, nagging feeling that absolutely refused to leave her alone. Mr. Moesby had told her that the feeling she was describing was compassion, and after looking up the meaning of the word 'compassion' on dictionary dot com, London soon agreed with him.

While many believed that the daughter of Wilfred Tipton didn't have a single un-superficial bone in her body, as the heiress stood outside the door to Cody and Bailey's hotel room, she sensed the most contradictive emotion of sadness sweep over her. Throughout the entire ordeal of the capsize, the only things that London had lost was her stuff. Her belongings. Her materialistic items. Cody had lost his _twin brother_, and as much as this had been a horrible chain of events to do so, London had brought herself to realise that clothes, jewelry, _stuff _could be replaced. Friendships and heartbreak couldn't.

Pushing a strand of her long, black hair behind her ear, London tapped softly three times on the wooden door and waited for a response. After about ten seconds of not getting one, she felt her brow furrow in confusion.

The heiress reached down to the doorknob and twisted it, finding it to be unlocked, and immediately bolted inside. She glanced around for a few seconds before her eyesight landed upon a meticulously folded piece of paper sitting on Cody's bed. London wasn't exactly sure if it was her place to actually read the note or not, but as she picked it up between her manicured fingers and thought back to all the times where she had shamelessly searched through the twins' and Bailey's e-mails and text messages, she figured it wouldn't be a problem. The setback only came when she discovered that the words scribbled down before her were almost as frightening as flying business class.

_Bailey… everyone,  
I can't stand this anymore. Zack's __not__ dead. I know he's not. And I'm going to find him to prove it to all of you.  
I'm sorry._

Considering the number of his homework assignments that London had copied off of in the past, she was one hundred percent certain that the letter she was holding was written in Cody's handwriting. Panic instantly took over her whole being. Struggling to shove the note in the pocket of her overly tight jeans, she then raced out of the room, en route to Moesby's across the hall.

"Stupid compassion!" she sniped to herself as she drummed loudly on Moesby's door, "It was so much easier when I was just beautiful, not beautiful _and_ kind!"

London heaved a breath of relief when the door eventually jarred open. She was just about ready to scream the roof off the whole building, but rapidly bit her tongue as Moesby appeared in front of her, phone to his ear, and hand held up to silence her.

"Yes?… Really? Oh, great. Great… Yes, of course, I'll tell him… Ok, see you tomorrow, Carey."

The heiress' heart froze in its place and she felt a lump of nerves impulsively form in her throat. The sheer mention of Carey's name caused her vision to direct downward at the piece of paper she could sense burning a hole in her pocket.

"London?"

The sound of Moesby's voice triggered her head to snap back up and meet her long time guardian directly in the eye.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, his voice filled with anxiety.

London gulped, "That depends," she began apprehensively, "Why were you talking to Carey?"

Moesby raised an eyebrow, "Her and Kurt have found the next possible flight out of Boston. They're leaving soon and are flying here overnight."

"So they'll be here tomorrow?"

"Yes, why, what's the matter, London?"

Without uttering a single word, London carefully took the folded up note out of her pocket and handed it to Mr. Moesby. As he opened it up, and his suspicions increasingly continued to climb, Moesby then allowed his eyes to scan over the few words that were written before him. In a matter a seconds his expression widened in shock.

"This is from Cody?!"

London cringed slightly at the thunderous tone that boomed from Moesby, "Yes… I went down to his room to see how he and Bailey were doing, but I only found that."

The seriousness of the situation suddenly reached its extremities as Moesby quickly began pacing where he stood, just outside of his hotel room. He read the letter once more and cupped his mouth fearfully with his hand.

"Well this is all we need, isn't it? Not only are Carey and Kurt coming tomorrow and trying to deal with their loss of Zack, but now Cody has gone missing, too?! What else could go wrong?!"

London bit her lip, "Er, Moesby?"

The ship manager's glare fell upon London at the nervous words that stuttered from her mouth. She glanced away for a moment, unable to face the look of fury – but more predominantly, terror – that was plainly spread across his face.

In a final, tense sigh, London gulped a second time and licked her lips, "Bailey wasn't in the room, either…"

* * *

The rain had begun to pour only minutes after Cody and Bailey had managed to find shelter under a bus stop a couple of blocks away from where they had spoken to the cab driver. They weren't sure how long it would take, but they now found themselves waiting for a bus, any bus, to come along so they could ask if it was headed anywhere near Newberry Hospital, and if so, how close it would get.

Cody was rested up against the side wall of the shelter, his legs stretched out across the seat, and Bailey leant on him, her head relaxing on his chest. The two hadn't spoken a single word to one another in what felt like ages, and the only thing breaking the silence for Bailey was the sound of Cody's heart pounding lightly in her ear.

The farm girl shifted slightly and craned her neck upward to shoot her boyfriend a glance. His jaw was set in a hard line of clear determination, but still, the feelings of pure nervousness were still residing in the back of Bailey's mind.

Biting her lip, her vision then moved to the side of his face, where the faintest possible red mark glared back at her. She instantly directed her eyesight away as her mind turned back to only an hour or so ago when she had let fly and allowed her emotions of anger to get the better of her when she had slapped Cody.

"Cody?"

The younger twin didn't move a muscle, "Hm?"

"I'm sorry I hit you," she spoke with some trivial hesitation.

Cody's head hastily shot down as he gazed at Bailey. He placed a delicate finger under her chin and tilted her head up, locking eyes with her.

"Don't be," he urged strongly, "It's ok. I shouldn't have ever tried to pull a stunt like that on you. _I'm_ sorry."

Bailey sighed a breath of relief as Cody placed a tender kiss on her forehead, "I just want you to be ok, Cody. I can't stop worrying about you…"

Before she had any chance to go on, Cody moved his lips to Bailey's, feeling the warmth of her touch eliminate any sensation of the cool rain falling around them.

Just as a set of headlights from a long bus shone visibly up the street, Bailey opened her eyes as she and Cody parted, and a rare, genuine smile slowly crept across his face. His eyes gawked at her sternly, "_Everything_ will be ok. I promise."

Bailey felt her heart flutter with a newfound confidence as Cody traced the outline of her bottom lip with his thumb before taking her hand and standing up alongside her while the bus pulled up at the curb and the driver opened the doors to the two teens.

Cody took a step forward, still tightly holding onto Bailey's hand, "Are you going anywhere out near Newberry?"

The aging bus driver's eyes widened in surprise, "Uh, yeah, I'm going out that way, but you'll only get about a half hour closer – if that."

Cody impulsively turned to face Bailey. While the younger twin was certain that one way or another he was going to get to Newberry Hospital, no matter how long it took, if there was one factor that would hold the smallest potential piece of influence over any of his decision making, it was Bailey's safety and sense of comfort.

Without a single dose of uncertainty, Bailey matched Cody's previous smile and nodded her head.

The younger twin forced a smaller grin and squeezed his girlfriend's hand, before finally turning back to the bus driver, "Count us in."

* * *

**Hello everybody :)**

**Sorry this chapter's a little shorter than the last one. It's been a bit of a long week, but this was pretty much all I wanted to cover here anyway.**

**School holidays now, so hopefully I'll be able to update at the same rate. Reviews would be awesome :) Thanks guys!**

**Reneyyyyyyyy x.  
**


	7. What Happens Now?

'To the praying Mother and the worried Father  
Let your children go  
If they come back they'll come home stronger  
And if they don't you'll know.'_**  
The River - Good Charlotte.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Seven - What Happens Now?**

**

* * *

**

The plummeting rain had finally decided to subside, and left now was only a few thin traces of water that Cody watched with great intrigue as they slid gently down the bus window. Squinting his eyes, he concentrated on how the raindrops would glide swiftly in a straight line, but then in the next instant, begin to wiggle in their path and slide all about the area of the glass where they were. The window was foggy and coated with condensation. Soon, though, it would all evaporate up into the atmosphere and fall back down to the Earth as rain all over again. It was this kind of natural science that Cody used to enjoy immensely, however, now whenever he even dared to think about water, all that came to his mind was the accursed ocean that had selfishly swallowed up his brother.

All of a sudden, the bus came to a jerking stop. Snapping out of his trance, Cody gazed down to where Bailey was resting comfortably against his chest, as she, too, fixed her eyes to his.

"End of the line, kids," the bus driver called up to the backseat where the two were sitting.

There had been a few other people that were on the bus, as well, but they had all gotten off at bus stops almost twenty minutes back from where the two teens found themselves now.

As they stood up and began walking down the aisle towards the exit, Cody stared back out the window, this time concentrating on what lay beyond the glass.

He couldn't exactly tell because of how dark it was, but the town that the bus had stopped in looked a lot different to the main city centre where the Tipton was located. The streets were poorly lit, there were traces of graffiti that lined all the loft-type houses, and there wasn't really a single sign of any public places in sight.

Just as Cody was beginning to question the friendliness of the area, he felt Bailey jab him in the side.

"Cody," she whispered into his ear nervously, "where are we going to sleep?"

Staring at the immeasurable amount of apprehension in Bailey's eyes, Cody sighed and squeezed her hand, whispering back to her not to worry. Deep down in himself, however, Cody was trying his absolute hardest to convince himself of that same reassurance.

It was ten minutes to ten o'clock, and they had been traveling for about thirty-five minutes. In all honesty, and as stupid as it may have sounded, the last thing that Cody had even considered when embarking on this great adventure was finding a safe place to sleep each night. Although, that was before he had any idea how long it was going to take he and Bailey to find their way to Newberry Hospital.

Clearing his throat, Cody looked up at the bus driver as they walked by, "You wouldn't know anywhere around here that we'd be able to stay the night, would you? I've got just over a hundred bucks, I suppose. It doesn't have to be anywhere great, it's only for one night."

Falling into slight hesitation for a moment, the older man soon shook his head, "Sorry, kiddo. The only bed and breakfast around here was just up the road there, but it shut down a few months ago now."

Cody followed the man's gesture out the front window of the bus and could faintly see the larger building sitting on the corner of the street in the dim light.

"Ok," he replied softly, "Thanks anyway."

"Just be careful hanging around here," the man warned just as the two teens had stepped down onto the concrete footpath.

Bailey frowned, "Why do you say that?"

The bus drover mulled over his next sentence before he spoke again, "This area isn't exactly known for its hospitality, ok? Just look out for yourselves."

Then with that said, the rickety, white doors slid back together and the bus took off from the curb, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Bailey heaved a deep breath, "Well, that sure doesn't make me feel much better."

Normally, Cody would bite back at Bailey's sarcasm with some lame, little snipe of his own, but in this particular situation, he could definitely see where she was coming from. But, then again, he already had their solution all panned out.

"It actually should," Cody began, "one of the things he said, anyway. If that motel, or whatever it is, has been closed down for months, then there's no-one telling us we can't still sleep in there, is there?"

Bailey's eyes widened, "You want to break in?"

"Do have any other ideas?"

Striving her hardest to come up with an argument to counter her boyfriend's proposal, Bailey eventually shrugged her shoulders in defeat and shook her head.

"Well, then," Cody said, beaming ever so slightly in success, "let's go."

Still feeling slightly nerved at the idea, Bailey reluctantly took a hold of Cody's hand and allowed him to lead her up to the end of the street where the abandoned structure quietly sat.

Stretching his arms in the slightest, Cody simply pushed out a fly screen and then lifted himself and Bailey through the window and into the empty room furthest away from the main street.

The room was small and dusty, but it easily would have been livable while the establishment was still in business.

There were two old looking arm chairs and a dodgy T.V. set, a small fridge along with a table for eating, and a queen sized bed that sat right against the back wall. It was quiet enough, the two supposed, but far off noises of loud music and other teenagers hanging around the streets could still be clearly heard.

"Are you sure about this?" Bailey asked.

Cody immediately glanced up at the doubtful tone in his girlfriend's voice. He frowned sadly as she shivered in the brisk chill of the room. He wasn't sure if it was because she was cold or scared, but either way, Cody was determined he could solve either problem for his Southern Belle.

Walking over to her, Cody smiled effortlessly and zipped up her pink, pastel coloured jacket before enveloping her in a warm hug.

"I'm sure. I promise, Bailey, nothing is going to happen to you."

"I know," she muffled into his shoulder, "I know, I trust you."

They stood like that for a minute or two, simply allowing each other's warmth to comfort any fearful or negative feelings that may have been building up inside them.

At that moment, there was absolutely nowhere else in the world that Bailey could picture herself being. Of course, she understood that Cody wasn't himself in any way, shape or form at that point in time. In fact, he was probably the furthest away from his usual bright, smart, happy self than he had ever been. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't put anything on the line to protect her or make sure she was ok. That she was utterly sure of.

"Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?" she asked quietly.

Cody wavered for a brief second, "Probably not."

Bailey sighed and broke away from the younger twin's grasp, "Cody – "

"I'm sorry, Bails," Cody interjected, "I'll try to, ok?" He then took her hand again and led her over to the bed, kicking off his shoes and gently climbing under the old, thin duvet, "But that doesn't mean you don't have to."

Still feeling unconvinced at Cody's persistence to stay awake and, no doubt, torture himself with thoughts of Zack, Bailey eventually joined him and nuzzled herself into his chest once more.

Cody draped an arm around his girlfriend as she yawned heavily into the nook of his shoulder, "We'll get outta' here early in the morning, though, ok?" he said.

Bailey nodded in agreement, breathing in the deep scent of his clothing, "I like this jacket," she spoke softly, "It's comfy."

Cody rubbed his thumb up and down Bailey's arm, "It's one of the ones London got for me. I left my favourite one at my towel station…"

Bailey subtly bit her lip as Cody's sentence dejectedly trailed off. Lifting her head up, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before re-adjusting her position in his affectionate embrace, "Try to sleep, sweetie."

Cody's face remained expressionless at Bailey's words, "Goodnight, baby."

* * *

There wasn't a single word in existence that could possibly even begin to describe the twisted and contorted feelings that Carey Martin felt dwelling in the pit of her stomach.

It had been just over forty-eight hours since Carey had been interrupted in the middle of one of her evening cabaret shows, which she performed in the ballroom of the Boston Tipton, and her whole world completely collapsed around her at the news that the S.S. Tipton had capsized on the West Coast of the States right near California.

And what caused her to capsize mentally was the further news that her eldest son was missing. Missing, and presumed dead.

The details given to her were pretty sketchy. The ship's engines malfunctioned, it exploded in a chain reaction up its vertical base, and Zack was swallowed up by the harsh swash of the murky ocean. That was it, plain and simple. It didn't exactly give her the closure she felt she needed with the weight of such heartbreaking news.

Everything that zoomed by her on the busy L.A. streets that morning all seemed to blur into a mesh of bright, sunshining madness. She wasn't paying attention to any feature that came into her line of vision. The only thing that Carey could think of was her baby boy, floating out in the ocean somewhere, not to mention her second son, stuck in the confines of a hotel room, which no doubt would only remind him of all the past memories he shared with his twin in their own hotel home. She couldn't even initiate any thought on the grieving process Cody must have been going through to have lost his other half.

Of course, there wasn't anything on God's green Earth that could separate the love Carey shared for her two boys. She loved them both equally, and much more than either of them would ever know, but there was always something the tiniest bit extra she felt with her first born.

When Zack was born, Carey couldn't believe how small and perfect he was, and although she didn't have much time before she had to set back to work at bringing Cody into the world, those first few minutes she had spent solely with her first baby were ones that she swore she would never, ever forget.

Cody had always been open with Carey when he had relied on her or needed her for something, but Zack liked to think that he was a lot more independent than that. It had always been a fight for Carey to get Zack to say what he was feeling or admit that he needed help. But no matter how much he insisted on being grown up, Carey always managed to get him to confess when he needed her in the end.

All Zack ever really wanted to do was to make Carey proud, especially growing up in the shadow of an over-bearing and seemingly perfect brother. If Carey had known that the Summer holidays just gone was the last time that she would ever see Zack again, she would've told him that she was proud. That she had _always_ been proud.

As a lone tear threatened to roll down Carey's cheek, she suddenly felt a supportive squeeze on her knee. She glanced up and met eyes with the boys' father, Kurt, who sat silently beside her.

Kurt hadn't said much in the past two days at all, really. He had tried his best to hide his emotions when he heard the news, but had instantly burst into tears when he met up with Carey at the Boston Tipton before going to the airport. That had been the only time when he had let his feelings get the better of him. He kept telling Carey that they had to stay strong for Cody. Cody was going to need them, Cody didn't deserve to see them upset and distressed, they needed to give all their love to Cody, Cody, Cody, Cody. But of course, that was partly because it caused his heart great pain to mention or even think about Zack.

Kurt had always said that Zack was a lot like him. And similarly, he also said that he wasn't going to let Zack make the same mistakes that he did. He may not have always been around to see this promise through, but that never meant that he didn't love his sons or wouldn't be by their side as soon as the call was made.

Cody had always been competent with his school work, and to this day, Kurt still failed to see where he had picked up such capabilities. He had never gained so much as a 'B' on any assignments or exams he participated in, when he wasn't wagging school, that is. Zack had the same potential, Kurt was sure of it, but he just never applied himself.

Everything would turn out ok in the end though, Kurt always thought. He wasn't going to let Zack fall into the trap of not waking up to himself like he had. And then, and only then, would Kurt finally be able to say that _Zack_ was proud of _him_.

Just as these last momentary thoughts crossed Carey and Kurt's minds, they both gazed up at the tall L.A. Tipton that London's limo pulled up at. Stealing one final glance at each other, they both took in a huge breath to compose themselves as the chauffeur then opened the door and they nervously stepped out onto the footpath.

* * *

London and Woody sat side by side on the cream coloured couch that was positioned in the centre of the hotel lobby, constantly redialing Cody and Bailey's mobile phone numbers over and over again.

As the elevator landed with a 'ding', Moesby stepped out and gawked over to where the two teens were placed, and where they had been since the last time he checked. The previous night.

"London, Woody," he consoled sympathetically, "Have you been trying to ring them all night?"

"Not _all_ night," Woody protested, "I had a break around twelve-thirty for a midnight snack."

"Snack?" London repeated, scoffing, "You gorged yourself on everyone's leftovers from dinner! Even the people who weren't on the ship!"

"Hey, it's not my fault if I get a little hungry when I haven't eaten in a few hours!"

"How do you think I feel? I haven't changed by outfit once _all morning_!"

"Kids, kids!" Moesby interjected, "Look, I appreciate how much you want to help out, but if either Cody or Bailey were planning on allowing us to get into contact with them, don't you think maybe they would have by now?"

London and Woody both fell to a stunned silent as realisation heavily began to set in.

Woody threw his phone down onto the coffee table in front of them, "Well, why haven't you called the police, or something?"

"Because," Moesby commenced, "I don't want to do anything against Carey and Kurt's wishes. London sent one of her limos to go and pick them up from the airport, and when they arrive here… I'll try to find some way to inform them of what's happened, and then go from whatever they want to take place."

"Poor Carey," London cooed with concern, "If her mascara runs just as much as the last time I saw her crying, this sure is going to be a loooong day."

Moesby rolled his eyes at London's almost genuine approach, "Your concern is truly touching, London."

"Well, if you're going to be like that, why don't you try comforting Carey and Kurt, then?" London sniped, pointing towards the front doors of the hotel.

Moesby's eyes widened as he followed the heiress' gesture across the room, until his vision fell upon the image of Zack and Cody's parents standing in the doorway. A flood of emotion suddenly swept over the hotel manager.

Throughout the entire ordeal so far, Moesby had been forcing himself to stay strong. He had to, he kept telling himself, for the kids. But catching sight of Carey and Kurt Martin for the first time since losing Zack, he rapidly realised that his grief was letting loose a lot sooner rather than later.

For the past four years - although, it felt like a hell of a lot longer than that - Mr. Moesby had been trying his absolute hardest to tolerate Zack and Cody Martin and, all in all, deal with the fact that they existed in his life. And even though they frustrated him sometimes, or, rather, _a lot_ of the time, when it came right down to it, he couldn't deny his incredible fondness of them and their attempts to keep him on his toes. Deep down they were like the kids he never had, or never will have, for that matter. The thought that he kept pushing to the back of his mind of never seeing the cheeky, guilty smile that commonly graced Zack's face ever again was finally beginning to hit home for him.

Making his way towards them, Moesby tried to ignore the grim looks that were widely spread across the Martins' faces. He was sure the last thing they felt like coping with was the pity of others. Especially considering the bombshell that he was being forced to drop.

"Carey, Kurt," Moesby spoke in a dull voice. His emotion was drained, and in all honesty, he had absolutely no idea what it was he was meant to say.

Carey simply nodded her head in response as Kurt kept a firm grip around her shoulders.

"How is everyone doing?" she managed to say.

Moesby sighed and shot a quick glance over to where London and Woody were still sitting. Kurt and Carey forced a small smile towards the two of them.

"We're all managing as well as we can," Moesby answered positively, "I suppose it would be foolish of me to ask yourself…?"

Carey's vision immediately fell to the carpet as Kurt rubbed his forehead with a groan, "Not unless you have any good news for us?" he quipped dryly.

Moesby solemnly shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Everything with Zack is still as it stood. I'm truly sorry."

Kurt smirked in appreciation but quickly shook his head to change the subject, "I think we'd just like to grab Cody and get on the next flight home if that's ok. You understand of we don't want to stick around?"

"Oh, no, of course not," Moesby assured them. The cogs of hesitation swiftly began to rotate in his mind, "But, uh… I'm reluctant to tell you that there's a bit of a problem."

Kurt's features widened fretfully as Carey's head bolted back up to meet Moesby's worried expression, "What do you mean a problem?" she snapped sharply.

Moesby's confidence abruptly withdrew in apprehension of Carey's heated tone. Swallowing hard, he forced his feelings of poise to re-surface before locking eyes with the twins' mother once more, "Cody… well, it's an understatement to say that Cody wasn't dealing well with the… situation. He was trying his hardest to convince everyone that Zack was ok and was out there somewhere waiting to be found. When no-one believed him, he decided to… take matters in his own hands, per-say."

"Per-say?" Kurt repeated impatiently, "What exactly are you trying to tell us, Mr. Moesby?"

Before Moesby had the opportunity to answer Kurt's question, Carey's glazed over expression shifted slightly to one of awareness and comprehension. A powerful chord struck against her heart and shed a dull light over the bleak circumstances for her, "Cody's not here, is he Mr. Moesby?"

The two men standing beside her instantly fell to silence, partly in sadness and partly in disbelief of Carey's strong twinge of 'mother's intuition'. Moesby refused to look at her any longer, and began stuttering over an answer to her powerful accusation.

"Because he would've been down here to meet us?" Carey pushed on, "As hurt he must be at what we're all being forced to go through, he still would've come down here to see me and his dad."

The chunk of emotion caught in the back of Carey's throat came through in choking sobs with each word that she spoke, as her simple statement coursed its way across Kurt's mind before he, too, vulnerably allowed feelings of realisation to settle in his brain.

"That is what you're talking about, isn't it?" Kurt indicted, agreeing with his ex-wife.

"Look," Moesby started lamely before the interrogation could continue any further, "Nobody had any idea that he was planning on leaving. I know that's no excuse for what's happened, but we've been up all night trying to come into contact with he and Bailey."

Carey immediately burst into fresh tears as Kurt hugged her tightly. All of a sudden, he paused and shot Mr. Moesby a confused look, eyebrow raised, "Wait, Bailey? His girlfriend? She's gone, too?"

Moesby nodded sadly, "They ran off together to find Zack. To prove that he's still alive."

Reaching into his breast pocket, Moesby then handed Cody's note to Carey and watched grimly as she skimmed over it before stifling out another heartbroken set of tears.

"I'm so terribly sorry," Moesby emphasized, "If there was anything I could've done to stop him, Carey, you know I would have without question."

"We understand, Mr. Moesby," Kurt ensured him, clearly trying to keep his immense feelings of fear and worry in check, "Have you called the police?"

"Oh, God, please let him be ok…" Carey pleaded softly, gazing up to the high ceiling of the hotel with the creased piece of paper firmly held against her chest.

Attempting to place Carey's inconsolable cries out of his thoughts, Moesby fixed his stare back on Kurt and shook his head, "No, we decided against it in case you and Carey wanted to go about finding him in your own way. Would you like me to contact the authorities now?"

"Yes," Kurt instantly shot in reply, "Right now."

* * *

**HEY GUYS :)**

**Ok, so, last time I may have said that I would update quickly, and that may have been, what... over a month ago? But, I'm here now, right :)?**

**Anyways, what did we think? Hm, there's actaully not much I wish to say here. Just that I hope nobody's getting too worried about the lovely little town Cody and Bailey have found themselves in. Then again, maybe you all should be a little worried - without giving anything away, of course :)**

**So, this time I really will try to update the tiniest bit faster. There's no more exmas, drama productions, touch footy comps or any other lame teenage excuses holding me back, so I will see how all goes :D As always, thanks to those who decide to be utter legends and leave me a review!**

**Reneyyyyyyy x.  
**


	8. Stage Two

'Cigarettes and ramen and a little bag of dope  
I am the son of a bitch and Edgar Allen Poe  
Raised in the city under a halo of lights  
The product of war and fear that we've been victimized.'  
_**St. Jimmy - Green Day.**_

* * *

**Chapter Eight - Stage Two.**

* * *

Carey sat alone on the long, beige lounge in the middle of the L.A. Tipton lobby, thinking. Not necessarily about any one particular factor or circumstance, but rather, about all of them tied in together. Her tear stained vision remained focussed straight ahead of her, towards the manager's desk, as her mind continued to tick over all the thoughts mulling in her brain.

It was almost eight a.m. She and Kurt had arrived at the Tipton about half an hour earlier that same morning, and had only just called the police before she found herself where she sat now, driving herself crazy with worry. She wasn't sure where her ex-husband and Mr. Moesby had gotten to, and to be quite honest, at that precise point in time, she didn't care. Carey just wanted to be alone.

The petrified mother had already lost one son. _That_ she was able to admit to herself. Zack had fallen off the boat into the fierce stormy waves, he was gone, and he was dead. But just as Carey was slowly beginning to allow herself to step away from the first stage of grieving known simply as denial, her entire world shattered to pieces around her all over again the second that she found out that Cody, too, was now gone. The mere inclination of her youngest son, distressed and grief-ridden, being outside somewhere wandering the extremely unfamiliar streets of California with nothing for support except his equally agonised girlfriend and the tremendously slim hope of his big brother still, somehow, being alive was enough for Carey to drop to the carpeted ground right then and there and die herself.

"Carey?"

Carey instantly looked up at the sound of her name and forced the tiniest possible smile at the dark-haired hotel heiress who stood before her. London returned the gesture before sitting down beside the twins' mother.

"Are the police here yet?" she then asked softly. Carey sniffled and gazed back down to her lap, causing London to bite her lip, "Sorry."

"Don't be," Carey replied, shaking her head gently, "At least you didn't ask me if I was ok," she added dryly.

London began to awkwardly fiddle with the hem of her baby pink coloured dress.

"I don't think they're here yet," Carey said, eventually answering the heiress' question, "Kurt said he'd come and find me when they arrive."

London nodded lamely, not exactly knowing what else to say. After a few seconds of dragged out silence, Carey wiped her eyes and directed her attention back to her boys' long time friend, "How are you doing, sweetheart? I haven't exactly had the time to talk to anyone yet."

London shrugged with little thought, "I'm doing ok. Better then most people, anyway."

"And what about your dad?"

Again, the heiress heaved her shoulders up and down, "Don't know. He's been too busy trying to impress the media and stop them saying mean things about the boat and the inequity of his industry."

Carey frowned, "I think you mean _integrity_, honey."

"Yeah, that."

The urge to giggle at London's vagueness subtly crossed Carey's thoughts, but she soon pushed it to the back of her mind. Licking her lips, she then opened her mouth to speak again.

"Your dad got you off the boat pretty quickly, didn't he?"

London immediately seemed to waver at the question. She clearly felt uneasy about talking about the matter with Carey, especially seeing how much pain and anguish was obviously over taking the anxious mother's soul.

"Yeah," the heiress droned quietly, "He sent the Tipton Helicopter for me. I wanted to wait and find everyone, like, Zack, Cody, Bailey, or whatever, but Daddy demanded that the pilot leave as soon as I was safe."

Carey let this new piece of information process through the rest of her mixed up thoughts for a moment or two. As ironic as it may have been to think now, it strangely did her heart some good to think that someone - and London, of all people - was truly trying to look out for her boys. And while this helped as much as it did, there was still something dwelling on Carey's mind that she felt she had to ask, no matter how much it would pain her or London to think about.

"So, you had a pretty clear view of all that was going on while you flying away, right?" London nodded her head as Carey recommenced, sighing, "So… you'd know if there looked to be any chance of Zack being ok."

London furrowed her brow in instant confusion, "What do you mean?"

Without pushing for any further delay, Carey swivelled right around and locked eyes with London, "You saw it all happen, London. Do you really think, even in the slightest, that there is any possible way that Zack could've survived?"

The enquiry fell like a ton of bricks down onto the heiress' shoulders. She could easily see the utter imploring look that filled Carey's vision to the brink, but London couldn't help but ask herself whether this was really what the twins' mum needed to hear, especially now, with so much still unsolved and insubstantial.

In the ultimate end, London sadly glanced down to the floor below her dainty feet and slowly shook her head.

Carey braced herself for the sensation of her world falling apart yet again, however, no such feeling ever came to her. She heaved a huge breath and scratched the back of her neck in silence for a moment, before she slowly felt all denial flow from her body, along with any hopes of Zack's inconceivable survival, and the slight the emotion of anger begin to seep through. What she needed to concentrate on now was finding Cody. The other three stages of grief for her eldest son would come later.

"I just hope Cody and Bailey are alright," she whispered hopefully to London.

* * *

"Cody, did you hear something?"

Bailey bolted upright in the small double bed and allowed her eyes to dart around the dusty old motel room before she shot a glance to her left, awaiting a reply from her boyfriend. She frowned in confusion as Cody lazily looked back at her and forced his eyes open, rubbing them drowsily. Bailey soon gasped slightly under her breath.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, sweetie. Were you asleep?"

Cody groaned and let a yawn escape his lips, "I think so. Either that or dead," he quipped sarcastically.

"Cody," Bailey said in a scolding tone.

Ignoring the reprimanding look in Bailey's eyes, Cody sat up and threw the blankets off he and his girlfriend, "What's the time?"

Bailey reached over to the small side-table beside the bed and turned on her phone. She and Cody had both switched their mobiles off at about ten-thirty the previous night once they had finally had enough of London and Woody constantly trying to call them.

"It's just after eight," she announced, yawning now, too.

Cody's sleepy eyes suddenly widened in surprise as he hastily swung his legs around and hung them over the edge of the bed, "We gotta' get going."

Bailey sighed, "Go where?"

"Another bus, or a train? I dunno', whatever we can get," Cody replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Convincing," Bailey grunted under her breath.

"What?"

Stuttering over a quick reply, Bailey crawled across the bed and wrapped her arms around Cody. He relaxed in her warm grip as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, "Do we have to go now?" she mumbled.

Cody furrowed his brow, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I'm ok, I just thought I heard something."

Cody smiled softly at his Southern Belle and gently detached himself from her grip. Tilting her head up, he placed a tender kiss on her hairline, "You're just being paranoid. We have to go," he began, standing up off the bed, "We might make it to Newberry today, and then we'll have Zack back, and - "

"Cody," Bailey interjected. Cody froze and glanced tensely at her, imploring her with his eyes to follow up her suspicious interruption of his talking of Zack with whatever it was she wanted to say.

Backing down slightly at the uneasy expression laid across his face, Bailey licked her lips and tried to think of something to say that would break the awkward silence that had rapidly taken over the room.

In the next instant, however, both teens jumped as the tension was sliced with the noise of the door handle to their room jostling slowly.

"What's that?" Bailey spat quietly.

Cody's vision stayed fixed on the door for a second or two before he shot an apprehensive stare at Bailey. Completely forgetting about the doubtful moment that had just passed between them, Cody then dashed over to his girlfriend's side and grabbed her arm gently.

"I'm not sure," he whispered, "Come on, we'll climb back out the window."

As soon as the two took a single step in the direction of the open window, the door abruptly flew open, causing both Cody and Bailey to flick their heads around.

"How the hell did you get in here?" boomed a voice from the doorway.

The voice belonged to a boy who was dressed in a black hoodie and a pair of navy blue track pants. His sharp green orbs were accessorised with an eyebrow piercing above his left eye, and his short, dark brown hair had a lightning bolt buzzed into the side of it.

"D'you hear me?" he blasted again.

"We, uh," Cody stammered, "climbed in through the window."

The boy growled in annoyance and continued to scan Cody and Bailey up and down, "Well, what are you doing here?"

"We just needed somewhere to sleep for the night," Bailey quickly cut in, trying to console the situation, "We're leaving now, really, we are."

The boy looked to Cody for conformation, who did so by nodding his head, "We'll be out of your way, ok?" the younger twin spoke calmly, "We don't want any trouble."

After about a minute of immense hesitation, the boy cursed silently under his breath and began walking over to the side-table where Bailey's phone had been, "Well, you're going to get some if you don't get outta' here now."

Bailey found Cody's hand and tightened her grip, "But we just said we - "

"No," the stranger cut in, "I mean you gotta' get outta' here _with me_."

Cody frowned, "Huh?"

"Look, I'll be more than happy to explain," the boy began, pulling out the drawer and reaching in to retrieve a few small, clear bags, "but for now, unless you wanna' purposely get caught up in my mess, you better come with me."

Bailey raised a suspicious eyebrow, "What was in those bags?"

Just as the boy opened his mouth to immediately reply, another loud commotion erupted from outside the room. The three teens stiffened in surprise at the sound of an additional door opening with a slam against the wall and what could only be identified as the sound of skateboard wheels weaving up and down the corridors.

"Shit," the boy spat, this time cursing out loud, "Come on, grab your gear. We'll take your idea and jump out the window."

"What was that? Who is out there?" Bailey asked anxiously.

"Questions now, Bailey? Really?" Cody answer cynically. Snatching up his own, and then, Bailey's pair of shoes, he quickly threw the farm girl's to her and then helped her out the window after the young stranger. As soon as the younger twin had landed firmly on the ground, too, he heard the sound of a second new voice roar from the front steps of the structure as the boy shoved he and Bailey behind a bush.

"Stay here until me and this loser are outta' sight, ok?" he urged strongly, "And **don't** come back here."

Before Cody could open his mouth to protest hiding away, the boy turned on his heels and dashed over to where he had obviously left his bike laying on the gravel covered turf.

"Lucas, you dodgy prick!" the second boy continued to yell, "Give me back my dope, arsehole!"

In the next instant, the screaming teen jumped back on his skateboard and latched onto a piece of lose string caught up in the spokes of the first boy's bike and quickly began towing behind him, still shouting all kinds of threats at the top of his lungs.

A light bulb suddenly lit up in Cody's brain as the bike rapidly started to pick up speed. Breaking out of Bailey's grip, Cody leapt up from the bush and called out before the boy was out of hearing range, "Hey! Slam on your brakes!"

Without waiting a second longer, the boy pushed his pedals backwards, causing the bike to stop, and his pursuer to prolong flying forward until he and his skateboard crashed into a pair of garbage bins sitting on the corner of the street.

With no further delay, the boy ditched his bike and sprinted back to Cody and Bailey, gesturing with his head the direction in which to follow him. All indecision aside, the younger twin and his girlfriend shot a quick glance at each other and then instantly followed.

* * *

After cruising through about two and half blocks, and finding an alleyway to stop in, the three teens finally came to a halt to take a breather.

Cody was panting slightly as his eyes briefly scanned the area around him. He scrunched his brow at his first real impression of the town in daylight. Seeing that he was running for what may well have been his life no more than a minute or two ago, he hadn't exactly taken the time to stop and notice just how dull and foul his surroundings were.

All the buildings around where the three teens stood were run down in some way or another, and there was certainly more graffiti staining the walls and doors than the younger twin had first suspected. And still, even in these pleasant, shining hours of the mid-morning, police sirens could still be heard wailing in the distance.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the mystery boy tried to hide his smile as he watched Cody tow Bailey in by the hand and give her a gentle hug to calm her nerves, "So, how'd you know that would happen?" he asked.

Cody looked up, frowning, "What do you mean?"

"When dipshit back there flew forward into the trash cans. How'd you know?"

"It's the law of inertia," Cody answered proudly, "Ever heard of Sir Isaac Newton?"

The boy hesitated for a second, "Did he sing that song 'Benny and the Jets'?"

Bailey forced herself not to giggle as Cody simply shook his head "Never mind, er, Lucas?"

"That's my last name. It's Nate," he replied, "You?"

"I'm Cody," the younger twin said before nodding his head towards Bailey, "This is my girlfriend, Bailey."

Nate grinned a friendly grin at the blonde farm girl, but all Bailey did was scowl in reply, "Don't smile at me like that," she sniped, "Not until you answer my question."

"Bailey," Cody urged softly.

Nate merely shrugged his shoulders, "What question?"

"What's in those bags you took?"

"Didn't you hear the guy chasing me?" Nate asked casually, "It's pot."

Bailey gasped under her breath, glancing sharply at Cody, before shooting Nate a glower of disgust.

"Whoa, hey, just chill for a sec, ok?" the dark-haired boy began, "It's not mine. Really. Look, I told you I'd explain everything, didn't I?"

Bailey creased her nose in uncertainty, "So whose is it, then? And why do you have it?"

"Bailey," Cody cut in again, clearly not wanting to aggravate Nate.

"Dude, it's fine," Nate assured the younger twin, "I said I'd explain, and I will."

Bailey let go of Cody's hand and pushed a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear before folding her arms impatiently across her chest.

Nate shoved his hands in his pockets, "The creep who was coming after me is named Dan… or Dave, or something like that - anyway, a few of my dumb arse friends thought it'd be a smart idea to steal the stuff from him when they heard that he had left his stash lying around at that old motel. But then, of course, when they found out he was still hanging around, they all got too scared to confront him and sent me in to do the job."

"Why you?" Cody asked curiously.

Nate smiled smugly, "Doesn't take much to scare me, man."

"Well, it sounds to me that your friends are pretty influencing over you," Bailey again concluded.

The grin across Nate's face grew wider at the fiery tone in Bailey's voice, "I'm not into that shit, ok? I swear. I mean, I'm stupid, but not that stupid. My job is to look out for my friends and make sure they don't get themselves in too much trouble - that's it."

Bailey rolled her eyes in further doubt, "Whatever you say."

Nate simply countered the gesture and then turned to face Cody, "So, what about you?"

Cody raised an eyebrow, "What about me?"

"What's your story?"

Cody hesitated for a moment, cringing at the reappearance of the few images that had managed to creep his way into his trivial slumber the night before, "We're trying to get to Newberry Hospital."

Nate's eyes widened, "Newberry? That's heaps far from here."

"I know," Cody answered, "I was actually kinda' hoping that you knew some way for us to get out there? A bus, or something?"

Nate chewed on his bottom lip for a second and then shook his head, "Sorry, man, I wouldn't know. I don't think many people around here would be able to afford to get too far away from this dump of a town, anyway."

Cody froze for a split second as he felt a whole new weight crash down onto his shoulders. Closing his eyes, he pushed his hair back out of his face and sighed, trying to hold himself together, "Well you gotta' know someone who's more familiar with the area, or something?"

Scratching his head, Nate wavered for a few further seconds, "Well, there probably is one…"

Cody's eyes brightened in delight, "Who?"

Bailey continued to watch Nate closely. The reluctant tone that absolutely coated his voice wasn't exactly a very reassuring factor concerning the person he was thinking of.

"My cousin, Ty, has been out here roaming the streets longer than the lot of us," he eventually said.

Bailey's vision narrowed, "Sounds like a healthy lifestyle. Being, what, a bunch of street kids?"

Nate's expression changed to one of mock offence, "We prefer the term 'independent nomads'."

Opening her mouth to dispute Nate's argument, Bailey was quickly cut off by her boyfriend, "And do you really think your cousin will be able to help us?"

Nate shrugged, "I'd say so. No-one knows this area better than Ty."

A true, genuine smile threatened to beam across Cody's face, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Whoa, no, hang on a minute," Bailey interjected, taking a hold of Cody's arm again. She turned her awareness back to Nate, "When we first met you, you were running off from some crazy guy on a skateboard with a few bags of _illegal_ marijuana. Why on Earth should Cody and I trust you?"

At this statement, even Cody managed to drag himself out of his blissful world of anticipation and allowed his vision to cast onto the silent image of Nate. Bailey remained stern faced while the dark-haired boy rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie in deep thought.

Finally he turned to Cody, "Look, if you hadn't warned me about slamming my bike brakes on, I would've ended up in a nasty struggle with Dan… Dave - whatever. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm pretty sure I helped you guys out of a pretty sticky situation in the first place, right?"

Cody shot a conceited glance at his girlfriend, "Right?" he echoed.

Bailey stubbornly looked away, finding interest in a blank spot on the ground, "Right," she eventually agreed softly.

Taking a second or two to smile in success, Nate then looked back to Cody, "So, I reckon you and me are just about even. I want to help you."

Bailey's head flew back up slowly at the authentic concern in Nate's tone.

"Why do you need to get out there anyway?"

The self proclaimed nomad waited for an answer, but instead frowned in confusion at Cody's sudden withdrawal from the conversation.

Bailey soon sensed her boyfriend's feelings of distress creep back up to an uneasy level, and instantly squeezed his hand tighter and whispered something to him that Nate couldn't hear.

After about another second, Cody exhaled deeply, "I'd rather not talk about it, if that's ok."

There was no denying the increase in Nate's curiosity, but still, he submissively heaved his shoulders in a shrug, "Sure, man, it's all good."

In the next instant, Cody felt his eyes squint at the hand that had been ejected towards him and looked back up to meet Nate's open gaze.

"I know that trust isn't something that some people go giving out to anyone and everyone. Believe me I do," he started, "But I really do want to try and help you guys. Even?"

Cody's world began to slow down as he attempted to take in every single piece of information that had been fed to him.

It was clear that Nate was being genuine about wanting to help, and Cody appreciated that solely in itself. On the other hand, however, Bailey's undeniable skepticism of the hooded wanderer was something that the younger twin couldn't possibly ignore.

While his beautiful farm girl may not have been the most excellent judge of character, Cody was still very reluctant to do anything that may have even the slightest inclination of making her feel uncomfortable.

There was no stopping all these dynamics from running constant circles in Cody's mind, and if he was being completely honest, the more they weighed up, the more his common sense was screaming at him to simply say 'no' and walk away from Nate without looking back. But there was still one ultimate factor that Cody absolutely refused to overlook. Nate's cousin, Ty, could get him to Zack.

Bailey watched extremely apprehensively as Cody then forced a small smile and joined with Nate in a handshake,

"Even."

* * *

**Quick enough update? HAHA :)**

**Hello everybody! So, it's been like, what, two weeks? I'm pretty proud of myself, lol.**

**What did we all think of this chapter? And do we like Nate, or is he untrustworthy? Hm..**

**Obviously, 'Benny and the Jets' was not sung by sir Isaac Newton, but by Sir Elton John, so there's the disclaimer for that lame little bit.**

**That's really all I wanted to say here. Feedback on Nate and Carey's depressing appearance in this chapter would be much appreciated :) Thanks guys! :)**

**Reneyyyyyyyyy x.**


	9. Too Much Stuff

'Taste like sugar, but it's Novocain  
She's grinding teeth  
She can sharpen the pain  
White lights, train wreck.'_**  
Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide – Shinedown.**_

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******Chapter Nine - Too Much Stuff.  
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Nate certainly wasn't shy when it came to talking about himself. In the short time that Cody and Bailey had been walking briskly beside him in the direction of wherever he was leading them, they had learnt a bit more about their new found companion.

Nathan Lucas was seventeen – a year older than Cody and Bailey, and he had been living on his own for a long time. He left home when he was fifteen and met up with his cousin, Ty, who had been living the same way since a couple of months earlier. Not long after, they had come across two other kids in a similar situation and had been a tight knit group ever since.

Nate's reasoning for running away was all put down to his mother, so he said. He told Cody and Bailey that he'd be more than willing to elaborate, but it was the farm girl who had cut him off and said that she and her boyfriend really didn't need to know the details.

Bailey still did not trust Nate in the slightest, and there was no denying it. She knew that the only reason she had Cody had gone along with his offer in the first place was because of the slim hope Cody held of finding Zack alive and well. His mind was all over the place, and this argument was only intensified once Nate turned the tables and started poking questions at Cody.

The younger twin would talk about himself easily, but when asked about his family he would only briefly mention his mum and dad and then quickly try and change the subject. It was almost as if Zack really didn't exist. The mere thought of it sent a shiver up Bailey's spine as she forced herself to bite her tongue and simply listen to the friendly banter back and forth between her boyfriend and the older boy before Nate finally came to a halt and gazed up at a loft in front of them.

"This is the dump," he said with a chuckle.

Bailey frowned, "You guys all live in here?"

The structure before them was much like the old motel that they had left about half an hour ago – run down, filthy and coated in graffiti. It was placed in between two other buildings that looked exactly alike. In fact, they stretched all the way up the suburban street.

There were only a couple of other people around at that particular moment – sitting on their porch having a smoke and whatnot. It all added up to equal the most unappealing scene that Cody and Bailey had both ever seen in their entire lives.

"It's abandoned," Nate replied with a shrug, "Just figured we'd move our way in a few months ago and no-one's had a go at us about it. Yet."

"How reassuring," Bailey sniped.

Nate snickered to himself at yet another feisty comment from Bailey and then patted Cody on the shoulder, "Come on, then."

"Will your cousin be here?" the younger twin asked curiously.

"Should be," Nate answered simply, "They all should be - it's not like they have anywhere else to go."

The three then plodded their way up the rickety steps and Nate forced open the tough wooden door.

A cloud of dust exploded from the older boy's powerful shove of the squeaky entrance as Cody and Bailey adjusted their eyesight to the dull light that barely illuminated the room.

The small space before them was pretty much empty, with only a dodgy old lounge and an armchair taking up space. Towards the back of the room laid the remains of what may have once been a nice kitchen with an esky pushed carelessly to one side next to the pantry. There was another doorway to the side of the room, which presumably led to a bedroom, and the wire-made backdoor sat unsteadily on the opposite side, letting the bright beams of sunlight from the outside world gleam in.

"I'm back, guys," Nate announced to the two boys that were talking amongst themselves on the lounge in the centre of the room.

Nate's friends both instantly looked up and frowned at the two strangers standing alongside him. They stood up off the lounge and began to scan Cody and Bailey up and down with their eyes.

The first boy was slim, but had sort of a built up upper-body and dirty blonde hair with a long, greasy rat's tail that hung over his shoulder. He was dressed in a tight, red singlet and a pair of baggy, gray sweatpants and had an obvious tongue piercing that he kept using his teeth to play with.

The second was kind of on the chubby side with a fat face and blondish-reddish hair cut short. His shirt was navy blue and he was wearing a knee-length pair of black Canterburys, revealing his plump ankles and bright, white Nike low-tops.

The chubby kid snorted, "Who ya got here?"

"This is Cody and Bailey," Nate answered, gesturing between the two, "They need our help to get somewhere, so they're gonna' be hanging around us for a bit, alright?" The dark haired boy then pointed to his two friends, "These are my buddies, Brayden and Hog."

Bailey subtly let her shy vision fall to the ground while Cody nodded his head and offered the two a soft 'hey'. The guys seemed to ignore the younger twin's greeting, as the slim boy, Brayden, turned his attention back to Nate.

"Did you get the stuff away from Damon?"

Nate furrowed his brow in confusion, "I thought his name was Dave, or Dan?"

"Dude, it's Damon," Hog cut in, "And you better have got it. You know how pissed Ty gets when she doesn't get her fix."

The second that this sentence left the red-head's mouth, Bailey's head shot up as Cody's jaw dropped in surprise, "Wait, _she_?"

Nate rolled his eyes at Hog and raised his voice, "Ty! I'm back!"

Still feeling utterly baffled, the younger twin and his girlfriend both followed the sound of the backdoor swinging open and allowed their eyes to widen in shock at the image of a tall, thin girl that appeared before them.

Ty had a head of long, jet-black hair that came all the way down to her waist. Her pale green orbs glimmered amongst her heavy black eye make-up, and her lips were covered in a glossy black, too. She wore a pair of tight skinny-leg jeans and a loose fitting red shirt that clung lazily to her shoulders and had a shiny, silver cross hanging around her neck that sparkled much like the silver stud that pierced her lip.

Ty's vision glanced over Cody and Bailey, but her face remained the same blank expression, "What we got here?"

"Cuz, this is Cody and Bailey," Nate repeated, "Guys, this is my cousin, Ty."

Bailey tilted her head slightly, her brow still furrowed, "You're a girl?"

"Yeah. _Tyler_," Nate re-iterated.

"Is that a problem?" Ty asked sharply.

"No, not at all," Cody jumped in, leaping to Bailey's defense, "Nate just didn't call you anything else but 'Ty' and we sort of assumed you were a boy."

Ty rolled her eyes as Nate licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak again, "I met up with them up the street. They need our help."

Ty began to fiddle with the belt loop at the top of her jeans, "How so?"

"They need to get out to Newberry. I told them that you would be the best person for the job."

Scoffing to herself, Ty brushed her hair out of her face, "Did you get my stuff?"

Shaking his head in discontent, Nate reached into his pocket and threw the clear bag over to his cousin.

Ty caught it easily and opened it up, examining it for a second or two, before she turned on her heels and headed back towards the backdoor, calling out as she did, "I'll think about it."

Cody and Bailey both flinched as the old door slammed shut behind Ty, leaving them standing in an awkward silence with Nate and the other two boys. Still shaking his head at his little cousin's attitude, Nate grabbed a dark coloured backpack from off the lounge and slung it over his shoulder.

"Ignore her, we all do. She'll come round," he advised gently, "Anyway, I'm gonna' go work."

Cody raised an eyebrow, "Work?"

Nate nodded his head, "Yeah. These losers think it'd be easier if we just stole everything we needed," he replied, gesturing towards Brayden and Hog, "but I like to at least try and do things that won't affect my conscience."

"Pussy," Brayden murmured under his breath.

"D'you say something, Mr. Testosterone?" Nate snapped with a smirk.

"Who do you work for?" Cody interjected.

"This guy 'X'. Dunno' what his real name is."

Bailey grunted a laugh, "That's probably for the best, though, right?"

Paying no attention to yet another cynical quip from the farm girl, Nate simply turned his awareness back to Cody who spoke again, "Well, what kind of work do you do?"

Nate hesitated for a moment, "I'd tell ya, but Bailey probably thinks that you two... what was it, don't need to know the details?."

The southern girl scowled in displeasure as Nate evened the score and grinned at her sarcastically.

"I won't be long, alright?" he then said to both pairs of friends in the room, "Oh, and before you two ask," he went on, staring down Brayden and Hog, "Yes, Cody and Bailey are a couple, so she's off limits. Got it, _Hog_?"

Bailey shuddered in disgust and latched onto Cody's arm as Hog lowered his head in what seemed to be disappointment and Brayden began laughing loudly.

"Still a good idea, sweetie?" Bailey whispered sourly into her boyfriend's ear.

Cowering at the fire in Bailey's tone, Cody simply shrugged and shot Nate a pleading look. The older boy nodded again as he started making his way towards the front door and twisted the rusty doorknob.

"I mean it, you guys," he urged harshly, "No fucking around, alright? I'll be back soon."

As the two boys eventually began to calm down, Cody gave Nate a grateful stare before he disappeared behind the door and back out onto the street.

Still clearly feeling quite uncomfortable at the situation they had found themselves in, Bailey gripped onto Cody's waist a little bit tighter as he reached his arm around her and gently rubbed her back. She sighed softly and casually glanced back up at Brayden and Hog.

"So…" she started awkwardly, "what do you guys do to pass the time around here?"

Brayden heaved his shoulders up and down with a grumble, "Unless you got any fireworks or illicit drugs on ya, not a lot."

"Maybe your boyfriend has an idea?" Hog suggested, partially in sarcasm. But Cody didn't notice.

At that particular moment, the younger twin's eyes were glued to the backdoor. Through the thin strips of wire he could see Ty sitting out on the back steps, a smoke hanging out of her mouth while she rolled another from the bag that sat in her lap. She was certainly not what Cody had expected her to be in any way, shape or form, and not just because she was a girl. Observing the way she stared with emptiness up into the cloudless sky above her and the long, sickening drags she took from the drug hanging from her lips, the only thought crossing Cody's mind was how he never expected Ty to be someone who seemed almost as sad, broken and lost as he was.

* * *

"Hey, blondie!"

Just as Bailey was almost lost in a comfortable snooze, the booming noise of what sounded like Hog's voice from the next room caused her eyes to slowly flutter open.

She and Cody were lounged out on Nate's bed that was in the spare room of the loft, and after what felt like an eternity of simply lying with each other and talking, Bailey had finally decided to happily rest her head on her boyfriend's chest and try to catch up on a bit of shut-eye.

The first thing that she remembered when she awoke from her doze was how much she had tried to get Cody to talk about how was feeling now – a couple of days after all that had happened – and although she had succeeded, it was much to Cody's reluctance. He kept telling her that he didn't want to think about it anymore, that talking about wasn't making him feel much better, but even so, he wasn't going to allow himself to shut Bailey out.

The farm girl groaned out a yawn, "I think they were calling you, sweetie."

"I know," Cody answered softly, "I'm ignoring it."

Bailey giggled slightly but came to a sudden stop as a gentle knock came from the other side of the door.

Cody sighed in disappointment, "I don't wanna' get up, baby," he whispered sweetly before placing a soft kiss on Bailey's hair line and hopping off the bed.

Once he was about half way towards the bedroom door, a loud thump against made him jump in his tracks. The younger twin tentatively opened it and frowned as his vision came into contact with Nate standing there holding Hog's shoe and threatening to pelt it back at him.

"Nate?" Cody asked.

The older boy instantly spun around and threw his friend's shoe over his shoulder, "I knocked politely, ginger-nuts over there is the one who threw his shoe."

Cody opened his mouth to comment but soon bit his tongue as he and Nate heard Bailey loudly clear her throat in disproval.

"I mean _Hog_ is the one who threw his shoe," Nate restated, willing himself not to laugh.

Cody pushed the funny thought from his mind and scratched his head, "What's up?"

"These two shits are too lazy to help me carry in a couple of boxes from the yard," he began, making sure Brayden and Hog could hear him, "Would you mind?"

Cody licked his lips and turned back to face Bailey, stuttering over an answer.

"Don't worry," Nate said, reading his thoughts, "I'll make sure they'll leave her alone."

Letting a slight smirk cross his lips, Cody nodded his head and quickly blew Bailey a kiss before following Nate out of the room.

"Hey, guys?" Nate said innocently to the boys, "Anyone who annoys Bailey gets a kick in the teeth, got it?"

Brayden and Hog both sunk in their seats and nodded their heads at the heated tone that overtook Nate's voice, as he and Cody made their way out of the loft. Just as they did, Cody subtly turned back and glanced out the backdoor, surprised to see Ty still sitting there in the exact same position as she had been what had to have been about an hour ago.

"Coming, Cody?"

Snapping out of his trance, Cody took his eyes off Ty and looked back at Nate, "Yeah, coming."

The sunlight cast down strongly on Cody and forced his eyes to adjust slightly to the brightness. There were a few more people hanging around now – a couple of kids running up the street, cursing and yelling at each other, mind you, and the same couple of adults sitting on their front porches, eyeing Cody and Nate suspiciously. He hadn't exactly been keeping track of the time, but Cody supposed it had to be about ten-thirty by now. In the back of his mind, he sort of wondered what his mum and dad were doing right now. And Zack.

"D'you guys get up to anything while I was gone?"

Cody blinked and stared blankly at Nate for a second after breaking out of his daze, "Oh, er, nah, nothing really. Pretty quiet," the younger twin then stopped in a moment of hesitation, "Especially Ty."

Nate stifled a silent snicker just as the two reached the front gate where two large boxes sat in the dirt, "Yeah, don't think too much about that. She doesn't really talk to anyone."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"Yeah," Nate answered swiftly.

Cody furrowed his brow in deep concern. Noticing this, Nate froze in his place for a moment and seemed to waver for a second or two, "Look, I probably shouldn't be telling you too much stuff that you should really be hearing from her, but when it comes to Ty, a lot of the time you've just got to nod and smile at whatever she says," Cody stared through the older boy, still confused. Nate sighed, "I'm not saying she hasn't had a hard life, because she has, but she acts like it's a total train wreck, when it's not."

At a loss of what else to say, Cody simply nodded once and picked up one of the boxes, still frowning to himself and trying to wrap his head around all that Nate had just told him.

He couldn't understand why Ty would be the first out of her group of four to leave the comforts of family home. Maybe it wasn't really any comfort at all, but even so, if what Nate said was true and Ty's life hadn't really been completely horrible, why on Earth would she want to make out that it was? Cody knew how it felt to be at rock bottom. He knew what it was like for your life to really be a train – or boat – wreck. He'd never wish that on anybody else.

"Hey, you two?"

Cody and Nate both froze and turned around, catching eyesight with another boy that stood across the street under the shadow of a tall tree. From what could be clearly seen, the boy was tall and had either very short or no hair. Cody guessed that the former made much more sense, but it was still quite heard to tell just that, let alone anything else about this new stranger.

"You Nate Lucas?"

The intimidating tone of the outsider's voice caused Cody's heart to catch in his throat but Nate, on the other hand, merely glanced over to the younger twin coolly before turning back to the other boy and shrugged his shoulders.

"Never heard of him," he answered sensibly, still completely unaware of who this person was or why he wanted to talk to him.

In the next instant, the boy could be heard laughing to himself from where he stood across the street, "Thought you'd say that."

Continuing to play dumb, Nate watched with a raised eyebrow as the boy quickly whirled around and ran off. The second he was gone, however, the older boy's expression turned to one of unease as he cursed under his breath.

"What is it?" Cody asked anxiously.

Nate sighed deeply, reluctant to share his worries with the younger twin, "Looks like we're gonna' have to gather all this shit up and get outta' here quicker than I thought."

"What?" Cody snapped in confusion, "But, Nate –"

"I'll explain later ok, man, I will," he said reassuringly, "but that loser obviously wants me for something and before he comes back and brings friends, we gotta' go."

Biting the inside of his mouth, Cody faltered for a split second, looking between the boxes and Nate before opening his mouth again, "This is more of that Damon guy's stuff, isn't it?"

Breaking his frantic expression, Nate smiled proudly at Cody, "You really are a smart kid, aren't ya?"

Falling back to silence, Cody only twirled back around and marched up toward the loft with his box, taking in a deep breath and keeping one single though gliding freely across his mind, "It's alright," he called back to Nate, "All this sneaking around will all be worth it once Bailey and I get to Newberry."

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**Another two weeks later, I'm back again :)**

**Hello everybody, sorry this chapter was a little short, but it was pretty much only needed to introduce a few more lovely new people and set us up for what happens next... :) What do we think of the others, anyway? Oh, and, HA! my plan to make you all think Ty was a boy really worked, didn't it? :P I was actually quite proud of myself.**

**Please don't forget to leave me some feedback or a review :) It'll make me smile! Thanks guys.**

**Reneyyyyyyy x.  
**


	10. Mutual

'What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?  
I've told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means  
To be a joke and look, another line without a hook  
I held you close as we both shook for the last time take a good hard look!'_**  
I'm Not Okay (I Promise) - My Chemical Romance.**_

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**Chapter Ten - Mutual.  
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Kurt was lost in his own deep thoughts as he walked slowly up the LA. Tipton corridor. He was on his way to find Carey, who had relocated to the quiet sanctuary of the employee's lounge, away from all the other people and the distressing reminders of what had happened to her boys.

Without even noticing, Kurt almost walked right past the door leading into the lounge. It's not that he didn't know where he was going or that he had gotten lost, he was merely far too distracted by all the attention grabbing thoughts flying through his mind.

Much to his own surprise, over the past three days or so, Kurt had been holding himself together pretty well. He had to, though, he kept telling himself, for Carey. The twins' mother had become an instant mess upon hearing the news, and hadn't exactly changed her frame of mind since. But Kurt – no matter how devastated and broken he felt inside – had kept his emotions on the down low, not wanting his mental state to affect Carey's and make it any worse. But, of course, that was all a lot easier said than done.

As much as the boys' father strived to keep his mood shielded away from the rest of the world, he couldn't help but sense the extreme need and yearning he felt to have his sons safely back with him. None of what had happened was anything that Kurt ever possibly could have fathomed. Zack and Cody were meant to make something of themselves. More than what he had, anyway. That was his only wish as a dad.

Shooting a quick double take at the labeled plate on the lounge door, Kurt took a deep breath and cautiously opened it up, peering around the corner.

Each sharp 'tick' that resonated from the clock that hung on the wall was another dull throb that pounded in the back of Carey's head. She was gazing straight ahead, as she had been when she was down in the lobby, and was thinking. Constantly thinking.

The police had arrived a while ago now. But Carey wasn't ready to talk, not yet. She just wanted to be by herself, which was why she had been so grateful when the L.A. hotel manager allowed her to have the employee's lounge all to herself. It was easier for her to gather all her various thoughts here, and it was quieter. Except for that damn clock.

Up until that moment, the police had been interviewing Mr. Moesby, London, Woody and others from the ship concerning where Cody and Bailey may have been. They had also begun their search in the limited space of about a two-mile radius around the hotel. But as Carey was about to find out, it was now or never that she and Kurt had to take their turn with the authorities.

Her head instantly snapped up at the sound of the wooden door creaking open, and Carey and Kurt sighed sadly to one another as they became evident in each other's vision.

Closing the door softly behind him, Kurt tentatively strolled over towards Carey and took a seat next to her on one of the lounges.

"The police are on their way up," he stated, gently clearing his throat, "They want to talk to us."

Carey simply nodded her head, refusing to utter a single word. Sighing again, Kurt placed a tender hand on his ex-wife's knee, "Carey – "

"No, Kurt," Carey suddenly sniped, bringing her voice box back to life. She shifted away from Kurt's touch, "Can we just leave everything, please? I don't even want to talk to the police let alone anybody else, so please, _please_ just leave me alone!"

Kurt stared at Carey, wide-eyed and confused at her abrupt outburst, "C'mon, Carey, you're not going to feel any better keeping all your emotions bottled up."

"I don't care," she growled, "I don't need to talk, I just need to concentrate on getting Cody back here alive."

His wide expression rapidly narrowed as Kurt eyed Carey suspiciously, "Are you trying to tell me that you've seriously bought into the assumption that Zack is – "

"Don't, Kurt!" Carey yelled, fresh tears springing to her eyes, "Just don't, ok? Look at everything we've been told – from Moesby, from the hospital! If I don't let go now, then when can I?"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that Cody's right and his _twin_ is still out there somewhere?"

"Because Cody's in denial, Kurt," Carey spat, "And so are you."

"Isn't there a difference between being in denial and holding out hope?" Kurt countered on the verge of anger.

"Is there?" Carey curiously posed, "Why don't you tell me, Kurt, because I'm not sure if I know what _anything_ really is anymore."

Kurt slowly shook his head in disbelief, "Look, Carey, I know you're scared – "

"Scared?" she interrupted quietly, "I'm _terrified_."

The twins' father immediately felt his heart unstitch at the seams as he witnessed the mother of his children bury her head in her hands where she sat and begin to sob softly.

"I _know_ that Cody is still out there somewhere," she recommenced after an awkward moment or two, "But Zack? …I'm terrified that if I allow myself to believe that he is still alive and then find out that he really isn't… I just can't relive that feeling again, Kurt, I can't…"

"And you won't," Kurt soothed, diving across the lounge to collect Carey in a firm embrace, "It won't come to that, Carey, it won't. There _is_ a difference between denial and hope, but there's an even bigger difference between allowing yourself to fully believe in something and simply wishing for it to keep yourself in a stable mind-set."

Carey cried faintly into Kurt's shirt as she clutched onto his shoulder for dear life.

"And I know it's going to take us a while to get through this," he went on, "but we will. We need to stay strong for Cody, because he's the one who's going to need the most support when we get him back and we find out whatever the truth is about Zack."

Carey timidly raised her head and locker her tear soaked eyes with Kurt's, "Our baby…" she mumbled miserably.

"I know," Kurt cooed, kissing her forehead softly, "but we need to calm down and do anything we can to help both of them, ok?"

Carey blinked away her dampening tears and determinedly nodded her head.

Kurt smiled softly, "There's nothing wrong with holding out a little hope for _both_ of them."

Just as Carey exchanged the brave grin, a gentle knock was heard at the door before it opened to reveal a police officer standing on the other side.

Carey nervously beckoned the man to come in as he offered a friendly smile and a tip of his cap before he took it off.

"Good morning," he began kindly, "My name is Officer Jeffrey Matthews. Let me start by saying, I'm sincerely sorry for your loss."

Carey sharply bit her tongue and simply allowed Kurt to nod his head and murmur a quiet 'thank you'.

"Now," Matthews restarted, "I've spoken to many of your boys' friends and other employees from the S.S. Tipton, and some of my other officers have explored the immediate area around the hotel, but I'm afraid we're no closer to finding Cody."

Sighing slowly, Carey tried to ignore the heavy throbbing of her heart beating in her chest and gripped tighter onto Kurt's knee.

"So, I'm hoping I'll be able to get more information out of you and your ex-wife for us to run with," Matthews continued, turning to Kurt and flipping open his notepad, "Cody left to go and find his brother, right? Because he thinks that he survived the capsize of the ship?"

"Yes," Kurt confirmed, "He and his girlfriend, Bailey, ran off last night before Carey and I were even on our flight from Boston."

"So, your sons were always close?"

"Yes," Carey instantly cut in, taking the lead, "Although, they would never admit it. Never. And I suppose there was a stage they went through at the beginning of high school where it always seemed like they couldn't stand to be around each other, but when they first boarded that ship last year, they were all that each other had."

Kurt attempted to hold back the tears welling within him as Carey's recollections were increasingly accompanied by a painfully raspy tone.

"That's why Cody left and is so adamant that Zack is alive," she prolonged dejectedly, "because he loves him too much to believe any differently."

Officer Matthews scratched his head, sighing and forcing himself not to take any affect to the heart-breaking reminiscence.

"Thank you, Ms. Martin," he simply said, clearly understanding how hard the situation must have been for the distressed mother, "And do you have any idea at all where Cody might be?"

Carey frowned and fell into deep contemplation for a brief second. Soon enough, she shrugged her shoulders, "Only wherever might get him closer to Zack."

Taking this into consideration, Matthews nodded his head and scribbled a quick note down onto his pad. Kurt squeezed Carey's shoulder in supportive pride as the policeman then stood up and put his hat back on.

"If that is what you think then there may be one place we could look into," he informed them confidently, "If Cody is so desperate to find Zack, like you say, then it would be my best guess that he would be constantly on the move."

"Well, not necessarily," Carey interjected once more, "You have no idea how smart my Cody is. If he's this persistent on finding Zack, he won't be sloppy about it. I mean, for all we know, he could be staying in one place just carefully watching for an opportunity to sensibly make his next move."

* * *

"Bailey, we gotta' leave," Cody announced.

Bailey's head shot up from where she sat on Nate's bed as Cody rapidly appeared from the other side of the door.

"What?" she asked in confusion, "Leave? Where are we – "

"There may be," Cody interjected with a slight wave of hesitation, "a little bit of a hiccup."

Bailey coarsely gritted her teeth, "How little?"

Simply imagining the reaction sure to explode from his girlfriend, Cody sighed and bit his lip, "There's a few people who aren't exactly all that… happy with Nate at the moment, and they may or may not be coming after him."

Bailey's jaw dropped, "Cody!"

"Look, it'll be ok, ok? That's why we're leaving now, so they don't find him."

"And _us_! Because of him, we're in this, too! Why do we need any of them, Cody, why can't we just leave on our own like we planned?"

The look of accusation from Bailey that pierced straight through Cody's soul caused him to stop and think for a moment. He knew that he didn't want to get himself and Bailey in enough trouble to make her feel so uncomfortable, and possibly even a little frightened, but he couldn't ignore the ever-nagging argument in the back of his mind that said that Nate and Ty and the others were the only chance he had at that moment to get any closer to Zack.

"Bailey, I – "

"Hey, you two?"

The two teens stopped and gazed up towards the door as they heard the dim tone of Ty's voice echo from across the room.

"You coming, or not?" she enquired cynically, "If you want my help so bad, I know where we can go. Nate's buddy 'X' hooked us up with a place to stay."

Cody heard Bailey heave an unimpressed breath from behind him and she rolled her eyes with a shrug of her shoulders as her boyfriend gave her a fleeted pleading look.

"Fine," she spat with no expression. Before another word could be said, the farm-girl then briskly sauntered past Cody and Ty and walked into the next room where Nate was with the other two boys.

Shaking her head, Ty stifled a jeering chuckle and simply glanced back up at Cody with a plain appearance. Cody cocked an eyebrow. It was almost as if this girl only had one facial expression that covered all emotion.

"Smile," he said.

Ty blinked, "What?"

"It'll do you a world of good."

Shaking her head again, Ty locked her pastel green eyes with the dull tone of Cody's, "I could say the same for you."

As Cody fell to silence at Ty's countering argument, the dark-haired girl then shifted her vision to the brightly coloured clothing cloaking the younger twin's body that London had bought for him.

"You're not very good at being inconspicuous," Ty simply stated, "Your gonna' have heads turning wherever we go, included the heads of the losers looking for my cousin."

"I did have a darker coloured jacket, but I…" Cody slowly trailed off as he pictured his favourite jacket sitting harmlessly on what was once his towel station, "I lost it."

"How do you lose a piece of clothing?"

"Hey!" Nate's voice suddenly boomed from the next room, "Whenever you guys are ready?"

Ignoring the older boy's sarcasm, Cody and Ty held their gaze for a second or two longer before the emerald-eyed girl flicked her hair out of her face and spun around, quickly exiting the room. In the next instant, Cody followed and entered the lounge room where Bailey was standing by the front door waiting for the others to ready themselves to leave.

"You alright, Cody?" Nate asked.

The younger twin nodded his head, "Yeah, I'm ok. Are we going now?"

"Sure are," Nate replied, picking up one of the two boxes that he and Cody had brought in earlier, "Hog, make yourself useful and grab the other one, would ya?"

"Why me?" the redhead complained.

Brayden snickered under his breath, "You're the one who needs to lose the most weight."

"I didn't ask you, dickhead!"

Nate merely rolled his eyes in annoyance as Hog and Brayden started throwing different insults at each other while Bailey, on the other hand, eyed the boxes apprehensively.

"What's in there, anyway?" she asked doubtfully.

"It doesn't matter," Nate answered with assurance, "I'm dumping it all. That's what 'X' told me to do. There's a place he said we can stay near where we're getting rid of it, and according to Ty, it's where we need to go to get closer to Newberry."

"What we will do about food?" Hog asked urgently, punching Brayden in the arm for laughing at his indulgent query.

Placing his box down on the ground, Nate dug into the depths of his pocket and proudly revealed a large wad of cash all rolled up in a metal clip. Cody, who had now inched his way across the room to stand beside Bailey, felt his jaw drop to the ground in surprise.

"Nice," Ty murmured along with a whistle from Brayden.

"Half now, half when it's done," Nate informed the group with a smile, shoving it back into the pocket of his track pants.

"Well then, we should get going," Ty spoke, shooting a glance at Bailey, "As long as that's ok with everyone."

Bailey frowned as Cody took a hold of her hand and glared back at Ty, "We're all ok with it," he reassured on his girlfriend's behalf.

"Right then," Nate said, lugging his box back up, "Let's get outta' here."

Then, with not many more words spoken, the group all piled out the front door and began walking in whichever direction Ty decided to lead them.

Bailey continued gripping onto Cody's hand tighter and tighter with every step they took as the younger twin softly traced circles against her skin with his thumb. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that said it was huge risk becoming involved with people like Nate and Ty - the day's events had done nothing so far as to prove that so. But something else that spoke to him, in a much louder volume, was that now that they were finally on the move, he was getting increasingly closer to where Zack was.

"Why do you need to get to Newberry, anyway?" Ty suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Cody spotted Bailey rapidly glance at him out of the corner of his eye. Taking in a deep breath, he put on a brave face and gawked up at Ty with a shrug.

"It doesn't really matter. I just do."

"Well, yeah, but still, it's a long way from here, you've gotta' have a better reason than 'just because'?"

"Ty," Nate sharply cut in, "I'm sure if Cody wanted to talk about it he would've by now, don't you think?"

Ty scoffed at the reprimanding tone from her cousin and placed her attention back on Cody, "Well?"

Cody looked down at his feet helplessly, trying his absolute hardest to push all images of Zack and the swashing ocean out of his mind. He didn't want to have another break down, not here in front of the people who had decided he was, what, _cool_ enough to help him? Maybe it was the exact opposite to that. Maybe the only reason Nate had suggested the assistance of his cousin was because he pitied Cody and felt sorry for him. Whatever the reason, the younger twin wasn't going to blow it with any reaction that could be deemed by the group as uncalled for.

"Does it really matter right now?" Bailey interrupted sternly, "Shouldn't we be concentrating on Nate's little 'job'? Who is this Damon guy, anyway?"

Cody sighed a breath of relief and stared down at his beautiful farm-girl, smiling gratefully at her for quickly changing the topic of conversation. Bailey softly grinned back and settled into his grasp as the younger twin released her hand and instead draped an arm over her shoulder while they walked.

Nate, meanwhile, looked over his shoulder and waited for Ty to answer Bailey' question. When his cousin merely bit her lip and started playing with her piercing in frustration, the older boy decided to take the reins.

"Damon, in a word, is a douche," he replied, subtly smirking at Bailey's obvious attempt to hide a laugh, "When the both of them were still in school, he went to the same place as Hog, right, bud?"

Hog nodded as he switched the heavy cardboard box from one of his arms to the other, "He always picked on me and one of my other friends. One day about a year and a half ago when we were still in middle school, I finally stood up to him and we fought it out. We both got expelled."

"Just for fighting?" Cody asked in disbelief.

Hog sorted a laugh, "You weren't there, man. Violent shit, lemme' tell ya."

"When I met Hog, he had already starting hanging around with Brayden," Nate resumed, "Your old man chucked you out after you got kicked out of school, didn't he?"

The chubbier boy nodded his conformation again.

"Yeah," Nate redirected to Cody, "Damon was out on the street giving them both some trouble when me and Ty rocked up to help. Had it out for me ever since."

"Wow," Bailey droned anxiously, "So are you sure it's really such a brilliant idea to be dumping the stuff that your friend stole from him?"

"Don't worry, princess," Brayden cut in, "He ain't got shit on us, right, Nate-o?"

"Ease up, Mr. Testosterone," Nate quipped sarcastically, "I'm the one who always end up scaring them off."

"Yeah, you or Ty," Hog added, "They take one look at her and run off in the other direction."

"Shut your trap, fat-boy," Ty snapped, cutting into Hog and Brayden's array of grunting giggles.

"Whoa, ok, cuz," Nate soothed, "You know how they get, just ignore it. Now, where are we going?"

Ty groaned and slowed her pace up a bit, dropping behind the rest of the group, "When we need to change direction, I'll say so, ok?"

Brayden and Hog both started chuckling again at the dark-haired girl's vicious snipe and began whispering something crude about her 'time of the month' while Nate looked to Bailey and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Cody, however, heaved a repentant breath and delicately gazed over his shoulder at Ty.

Her empty eyes gaped up, too, and mirrored his for the slightest of moments until a soft expression took over and she quickly darted them towards the ground, leaving Cody to pause in thought for a second or two before he empathetically shook his head and refocussed his attention to the converstion echoing around him.

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**Hello everybody :) I think I may have come to the conclusion that the chapters in this story are going to continue to be about this length, even though I'm used to writing a little longer, there's just too many separate ideas I want to space out for this story. I'm actually quite happy with how this particular chapter turned out, too :) What did you all think, though? More questions, comments or general reviews are quite welcome :) Till next time!**

**Reneyyyyyyy x.  
**


	11. Pure Luck

'No one ever died for my sins in hell  
As far as I can tell  
At least the ones I got away with.'  
_**Movement I - Jesus of Suburbia.  
Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day.**_

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**Chapter Eleven - Pure Luck.**

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Cody walked along the cold, desolate street in complete silence. A street lamp flickered eerily above his head as his eyes darted around the barren roads and alleyways. There was nobody around. There were no sounds to be heard. There was just him. And an empty street.

Cody's mind wandered in time with each footstep he took up the road. He was trying to recall any single memory that explained how he ended up walking along by himself, but all his brain could do was draw blanks. He almost dared to open his mouth and call Bailey's name into the bleak shadows of the town, but soon thought against it, biting his tongue and simply holding his curious gaze to the poorly maintained buildings and houses all around him.

Squinting his vision, Cody tried to look for a single light, or something, switched on in any of the homes, but still, there was nothing of the like to be seen. There were many open windows he could see that allowed him to peer right into the living rooms of almost every house around him. They were just all totally vacant.

But even so, no matter how creepy and uncanny the entire situation seemed, the emotion was one that Cody was more than used to by now.

Without Zack safe and by his side, this intense feeling of loneliness was merely just a part of him. There was no escaping it.

All of a sudden, Cody froze at the abrupt sound of an almighty, roaring rumble. He felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate slightly before it began to shake uncontrollably and violently. In the next instant, the bold, double white lines that ran down the centre of the road acted as an unstitched seam as a long crack in the gravel thundered along the entire length of the street.

All Cody could do was watch, his mouth agape, as the concreted ground seemed to unexplainably peel away right before his eyes and become replaced with what he could sense and smell to be fresh, ocean water – the last thing he wanted to be reminded of.

Just as he was about to voice his total and utter bewilderment, a huge sea-breeze gust of wind caught itself under his feet and immediately caused Cody to lose his balance and land flat on his backside, slipping that much closer to the dangerous edge of the footpath before falling into a gigantic rush of cold water.

The salt stung Cody's eyes and throat as his senses went ballistic with shock. His clothes hung heavy against his saturated body as he tried with all his might to swim back to the surface, but instead, he was forcefully pulled back under by the harsh swash and backwash of the waves.

The desire for Cody to simply open his mouth and scream out a blend of pure terror and frustration became almost too much for him, until he felt a sudden tug on the sleeve of his t-shirt. Forcing himself to hold his breath for a second or two longer, Cody waited anxiously as his unknown saviour pulled his limp body safely to the layer of oxygen that eagerly anticipated his return. Once he felt the sheer intoxicating element refill his lungs, Cody blinked the few droplets of ocean water out of his eyes and risked gazing up at the person who had saved his life. As soon as he did, a pair of sharp, blue eyes mirrored the expression in his own.

And Cody felt his heart stop.

"…Zack?"

The older twin smiled warmly at his younger brother. Cody resisted the urge to struggle free from Zack's grip to pinch himself, just to make sure that what he was seeing was real. In the next instant, however, before he had the chance to say anything more, Cody blinked and suddenly he was lying down looking up at the plain, white ceiling above his head.

His eyelids fluttered a few more times before realisation set in. It was all just a dream.

Sighing to himself in disappointment, Cody allowed a yawn to escape his lips as he calmly lifted himself up into a sitting position. Bailey was lying next to him, undisturbed and softly lost in her own dream world. Brayden had sprawled himself out on the small couch near the door and Hog was flat on his face, but still in an extremely deep sleep, on the floor.

Just as Ty had told them, the six of them had managed to find another abandoned place about a half hour walk along the outskirts of the city to stay while they were waiting for Nate's deal with 'X' to close. It wasn't as big or comfy as what the group's abode back in town may have been, but it was certainly better than nothing.

Yawning once again, Cody scratched the back of his neck as he allowed the image of his twin to flash back through his mind once more. It wasn't the first time he had had a dream like that since the accident. They were actually becoming a lot more frequent, when he could essentially manage to sleep, that was. The only thing Cody wished was that they would last longer – long enough for him to say something to Zack. To ask him if he was ok.

The younger twin was then drawn out of his daydream as he felt his girlfriend stir slightly next to him. Cody smiled affectionately at the farm-girl and kissed her gently on the forehead. He was thankful that he hadn't woken her during his nightmare, and that it was quiet enough now for her to continue sleeping.

This thought abruptly brought a new one to his mind as Cody frowned. Looking back over towards Brayden and Hog, the younger twin tilted his head in confusion. Where were Nate and Ty?

Glancing back at Bailey for a quick second, Cody then gently crawled out of the double bed, stepped over Hog's limp body and quietly crept out the front door, closing it softly behind him. The very first image that appeared in his vision was Ty.

As he adjusted his eyes to the bright, mid-morning sunlight, Cody lazily sauntered over to where Ty had perched herself on the top step of the front porch, a hazy cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

"Morning," Cody spoke with a somewhat upbeat tone.

Ty simply gazed up at him through her dull eyes, "Hi," she mustered, taking a long drag of her dart.

"Where's Nate?"

Flicking her long black hair over her shoulders, Ty shrugged, "Around the side tagging up, I think. Why?" she went on with a snort, "Boys giving you grief?"

"No," Cody answered simply, "Just wondering. I want to ask him what's going on. How much longer he thinks it'll take for Bailey and I to get to Newberry."

"Well, shouldn't that be a question for me?" Ty countered, "I mean, I am the one leading this little expedition."

Nodding his head in agreement, Cody waited in silence for a second or two before gesturing for Ty to go on, "Well?"

The gothic-looking girl thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip around her lip piercing, "I suppose I'd be able to figure out the answer you're looking for faster if you told me why you want to get there so badly?"

Chuckling slightly at the girl's extreme persistence, Cody merely shook his head with a wry smile, "Forget about it."

Ty scoffed and shoved her smoke back in her mouth as Cody turned on his heels to go and find Nate, "Suit yourself, then," she called out sarcastically.

The younger twin halted in his tracks and turned back to Ty, peering curiously at the cynical smirk hidden behind the cigarette dangling from her lips. Again, he tilted his head a little, "You really should think about giving up, you know."

Ty's expression instantly creased into a frown, "What?"

"Well, not that it's any of my business, but I'm just saying," the blonde went on, "What with your terrific navigational skills and your ability to intrigue, you might actually be able to make something great of yourself in the future."

Ty paused, taking in Cody's words, "I intrigue you?"

Concealing his teasing smile, Cody only licked his lips before repeating himself, "Just saying."

Her sour expression continually increasing, Ty watched with an invincible scowl as Cody, again, attempted to about face in search of Nate. She was particularly confident, however, that Cody was not going to get away with such a lack of information.

"Why do you have to be so God damned nice all the time?" she snapped, regaining the younger twin's attention, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's the bad-boy types who get whatever they want to much more effect?"

The unusual and immensely short-lived bubbly tone to Cody's morning instantly diminished as Ty's words immediately welcomed the reminder of Zack back into his mind. He instantly sensed the scarce grin fall from his face as he pictured the mischievous one that more often than not plastered itself proudly across the face of his brother. Taking a few long seconds to think of another countering argument to Ty's, Cody stared at the impatient expression that sprung back at him from the green-eyed girl. After a moment or two, Cody subtly took a deep breath.

"Sometimes being a bad-boy takes you to places where others _really_ don't want to see you end up," he began slowly, "Sometimes that one bit of extra 'badness' – no matter how much of a good idea it seems at the time – really isn't worth it in the end."

Ty directly fell to silence, locking her pastel green eyes with Cody's baby blues and allowed his words to cycle through her mind a few times, before emitting another snort, "And, what, you learnt that for yourself?"

Cody almost felt like he could laugh at the comment that left the teenage girl's mouth, though he instead merely spoke again in a dry, droning tone with a heave of his shoulders, "I guess you could say I have."

Then, before another single word could be spoken, Cody spun around and took off towards the side of the house to find Nate, leaving Ty sitting on the porch steps with nothing to comfort her thoughts but the sick taste and smell of her tobacco.

Just as she had told him, Cody found Ty's cousin quietly sitting around the side of the house with a few different coloured permanent markers etching, what looked to be, his own personal touch to the arty styles of the worn down building.

"Hey," Cody greeted, forcing a friendly smile as he took a seat on the ground next to the older boy.

Nate instantly glanced up, wearing a similar expression, "What's going on, man?"

"Not a lot. Actually, I came out here to ask you the same thing," Cody commenced, "Any idea where we're headed today?"

Nate shook his head, picking up a black marker, "Sorry, dude. The only thing I got planned is getting rid of the rest of that gear so I can get the other half of my pay from 'X'. Ask Ty."

Cody rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Yeah, cause that went down well."

"Huh?"

Cody blinked, snapping back into reality, "Nothing, don't worry."

As the two then fell to silence, Cody allowed his vision to dart over the different drawings and inscribes that Nate had tagged the small section of brick with. His name, 'Nathan Lucas', was written in a bold, red colour in the centre and was surrounded by all kinds of random cartoons and words. It was all in fact quite artistic and well drawn.

"What's all this in aid of?" the younger twin asked inquisitively, breaking the silence.

Nate paused for a second or two and then put the cap back on the pen, pushing his weight back onto his hands to admire his work for a moment longer.

"Nothing," he finally answered, "Just for when boredom takes over."

A deep frown creased the centre of his brow as he thought about this a little more sincerely.

"Between all this shit I'm always caught up in, I guess it just reminds me that I'm still a kid."

At a loss of what there possibly was to say, Cody simply nodded his head, trying to understand where his companion was coming from. He probably held absolutely no right to say it, but in the mere twenty-four hours that he and his girlfriend had spent with Nate and the others, Cody could easily see how even a minute or two of normal teenage stuff would be nothing but a pure escape from what the reality of their lives really held. In a very large way, it was quite saddening to think about.

"Nate!"

The two boys immediately snapped their heads up at the sound of the booming voice that resonated from the balcony, both pairs of eyes widening at the strained expression that they found on the face of Brayden.

"What's up, Bray?" Nate asked with concern.

"I think we've gotta' leave," he responded slowly, "Ty said she saw… a visitor headed our way."

Nate gritted his teeth and jumped to his feet, as he was quickly followed by Cody, "Where's Bailey?" he abruptly spat.

"Ease up, she's inside," Brayden replied before looking back to the older boy, "What's the plan?"

"You and Hog just grab them boxes. And tell Bailey to come out here," he added quickly. Nate then beckoned Cody to follow him as he packed up his pens and walked around to the front of the house. Making it to the front yard, he stopped in his tracks, "Where the hell has Ty disappeared to now?"

"Cody?"

Disregarding the question from Nate, Cody turned his attention to the front steps and Bailey, in particular, as she made her way towards him.

"Bailey," he spoke with a genuine tone of happiness, wrapping his arms around her, "Are you ok? Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually," Bailey answered, releasing Cody from her grip, "You?"

Cody froze, giving his girlfriend a questioning look. Biting her lip, Bailey smirked jokingly, "Sorry?"

Brushing the thought off, Cody shook his head nonchalantly and took the farm-girl's hand, "Forget it."

"Ok," she trailed off, "Where are we going? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," the younger twin assured her, "Nate's got it all under control."

Bailey frowned slightly as she looked over Cody's shoulder to where Nate was pacing around, looking up and down the street for his cousin.

"I'm sure he does," she quipped cynically.

"Got the gear, Nate," Hog then yelled as he and Brayden reappeared on the balcony, each of them holding one of the cardboard boxes.

"Alright, come on then, let's get outta' here," the older boy said as he gestured for Cody and Bailey to follow him, "I'm sure it won't be long until we find where Ty –"

As soon as the five rounded the first corner at the end of the block, Nate found himself stopping mid-sentence as their eyes all laid upon the images of Ty pulling her hair back into a ponytail while she sized up an unfamiliar boy in a hood that stood in her way.

"Whoa," Nate exclaimed, dashing to his cousin's side, "Easy, Ty, there's no need to get into a scuffle, is there?"

"This prick is one of Damon's thugs," the dark-haired girl sniped, shrugging herself from Nate's grip.

Cody sensed Bailey's clutch on his hand tighten ever so slightly as Brayden and Hog heaved the two boxes firmly in their grasp and Nate looked down to the shorter boy who had come very close to, undoubtedly, getting his backside handed to him by Ty.

"What are you, like, eleven?" he jibed mockingly.

The kid continued to gawk heatedly at them through his dark, brown eyes, clearly unimpressed, "I know who you are, Nate Lucas," he said, pushing his short, blonde hair back between his fingers, "Now, dickhead, gimme' back the stuff you took from Damon and you might not have to deal with the rest of us later."

Cody watched carefully, standing in front of Bailey, as the kid lowered his left hand from his head back to his side. Nate merely laughed at the kid's attempt at a threat but the younger twin's eyes suddenly enlarged to the size of saucers at his realisation of something. Something that may have been of potential danger.

"Nate," he spoke through clenched teeth, "His pocket."

The older boy stared at Cody for a quick second before focusing his vision to the boy's pocket, and more specifically, his right hand that sat in the depths of it, obviously holding onto something that was hidden away. After another second of thought, Nate's expression mimicked Cody's at the inclination of what the smaller brute could possibly be wielding.

"Alright," Nate spoke calmly, "Do you really want to have to do this the hard way?"

In the next moment, all heads turned as Ty loudly scoffed into the tense air and grabbed the box that Hog was holding right out of his grip, "I know I do. Bray!"

Catching on like lighting, Brayden – being the quicker of he and Hog – then sprinted after Ty as the two of them took off across the street, carrying the two boxes under their arms and leading Damon's friend on what was sure to be one insane wild goose chase.

"Shit, Ty!" Nate cursed, yelling to his cousin.

Bailey watched in fear as Hog was left complaining about being slow, or something of the like, while Cody, on the other hand, suddenly gasped in shock as he saw Ty trip over something in the road and fall over, the contents of the box falling out around her.

"Ty!" he called anxiously. Without thinking, while Damon's thug continued on after Brayden, Cody freed himself from Bailey's hand and ran over to where Ty had collected herself on the pavement, bending down to help her gather, but ignoring, what he discovered to be a bunch of curious car parts.

Back on the footpath, it took Bailey a good few seconds to realise what Cody had done before she, too, took a step onto the road.

"Cody!" she called to her boyfriend as he and Ty picked themselves back up and prolonged on their way, out of sight. Much to her horror, however, the farm-girl's cries were vastly drowned out by the blaring, dreaded sound of a car horn.

Twisting her entire body around at whip-lashing speed, Bailey's jaw dropped as she shrieked in terror at the car ploughing towards her at an uncanny speed – the last image flying through her mind being that of her happy, smiling, beautiful boyfriend.

"Bailey!"

The Southern Belle's world suddenly slowed as she saw the car disappear out of her line of vision and she was forcefully yanked out of the way by her wrist. As her breath caught in the back of her throat, Bailey accidentally bit her tongue as her head collided with a soft thud against the amazing feeling of another human presence, while she watched out of the corner of her eye with an unexplainable amount of relief as the lethal motor vehicle continued on its way down the road.

Slowly beginning to regain her regular breathing pattern, Bailey shut her eyes tightly to blink away the tears that lined the brink of her vision as she felt her heartbeat decelerate at the same pace that she could hear the one inside of the chest of her saviour where her head now rested.

Swallowing hard, Bailey then took in a deep breath and gradually dared to timidly raise her head and meet eyes with the person who had grabbed her at the last possible second before God only knew what might have happened to her. When her bright, blue orbs encountered the sharp green of Nate's, she found herself gasping in surprise once more.

"_Now_ do you trust me?" the older boy asked with a smile that revealed nothing but extreme relief.

Bailey stuttered over a reply, glancing to her left to see a similar expression spread completely across Hog's appearance, before she only then realised how lucky she had been – at the bare minimum – to have just scraped through an escape with her life. And as she launched herself into a slight jittery, scared tremble and collapsed her head back into the older boy's chest while a couple of small, reluctant tears fell down her cheeks, she rapidly became conscious of the fact that none of it would be so if it hadn't been for Nate.

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Cody felt his heart pound heavily in his chest as he tried his absolute hardest to keep up with the quick pace that Ty and Brayden were sprinting ahead of him at. For a split second, as the two of them came to a sudden halt, the younger twin sensed a cloud of relief sweep over him, though this was quickly thwarted when he spotted three new boys standing ahead of them, looking angry at best.

"Jacket," Ty snapped under her breath as Cody instantly pulled his zipper up further to conceal the few car parts that he had hastily shoved in there while he and the dark-haired girl had been picking everything up off the gravel.

"And stay back," she added at the last minute just as the boy who seemed to be the leader of the group stepped forward and eyed the three of them up.

"You're the Lucas girl, aren't ya'?" the kid asked with a sick grin.

"And you're Damon," Ty countered.

Cody gulped slightly as he took in every feature of the infamous Damon. He was tall, almost as tall as Nate, and had greasy black hair slicked back in a ponytail. His fiery, dark eyes glared daggers at the younger twin and his two cohorts.

"Where's your fuckwit cousin?" he growled.

"Leave Nate out of this!" Brayden suddenly snapped furiously from under the hood that he had pulled over his face.

Damon's head shot over to Brayden as he wasted no time marching towards him and ripping the hood off his head, grabbing tightly onto the back of his neck, "What did you say, you little prick?"

Cody inhaled a breath coated with nerves as he frightfully watched while Brayden was obviously trying to keep his cool at the menace that loomed dangerously over him, waiting at any moment for Damon to snap.

"Whoa, man! Damon wait!"

Cody and Ty both looked up with panting reprieve as one of the other boys stepped forward and walked over to Brayden, his mouth hanging wide open and an evil frown creasing his forehead. In a matter of moments, the exact same appearance had welcomed itself among Brayden's features before the new boy opened his mouth,

"What the fuck are you doing here, Brayden?"

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**Ah, finally, a bit of drama :)**

**Hey everybody! What did we think here? I'll bet any of you who were a little suspicious of Nate are alot more fond of him now, right? I loved writing Cody's one on one moments with each of the Lucas cousins, it was fun to do because of how different they both are. Do we have any new opinions on either of them? ****I really enjoyed writing this whole chapter, actually - I'd had it planned for a while and was just thankful to get stuck into it!**** And also, would anyone care to guess who this mystery boy is who knows Brayden? I promise I'll try not to leave you all waiting too long :) Reviews would be awesome! :):) Till next time!**

**Reneyyyyyyy x.  
**


	12. Reveal

'Boy you think you're clever don't ya,  
Girl you think you're so smart?  
Come with me to another side in a world so cold and so dark.'  
_**Stay Wide Awake - Eminem.**_

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**Chapter Twelve - Reveal.  
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"What the fuck are you doing here, Brayden?"

Cody flinched at the venom spewing from the anonymous boy's mouth as he and Brayden continued to stare each other down with what was probably the most pure hatred that the younger twin had ever seen.

"I could ask you the same thing," Brayden began through gritted teeth, "What, so you're rolling with Damon and his pack of fuckwits now?"

"Hey, shut your trap, you little punk!" the third boy sniped from where he stood beside Damon.

Immediately sensing the hostile tension in the air climb up to an even further extremity, Cody suddenly whipped his head around, as did Ty, while the two of them sighed in relief at the image of Nate making his hasty approach towards them, closely followed by Bailey and Hog.

The younger twin frowned in confusion, as an obvious expression of concern had strangely managed to creep its way across Nate's face, too, but rather than questioning the wide-eyed appearance in his older friend's green orbs, Cody instead stretched out an arm towards his girlfriend and slinked it delicately around Bailey's waist as she settled into his grip.

"Was I talking to you?" Brayden snapped back at the boy who had told him to shut up.

Cursing under his breath, Nate took a slow step forward and placed a hand on Brayden's shoulder, "Bray, chill out, man."

"Oi!" the first boy, the one who Brayden was arguing with, spat at Nate, "No-one asked for you to open your big mouth, Lucas! Why don't you mind your own fucking business for once?"

"It's called looking out for him, Jase, you might want to try _that_ for once," Nate countered bitterly.

"Wait, Nate, you know this douche?" Ty asked with a creased brow.

Cody licked his lips, finally letting his curiosity get the better of him, "Who is he?"

Before Nate even had the time to think about giving a response, Brayden spat on the ground in front of him and opened his mouth, "He's my older brother," he muttered cruelly.

Each person within earshot instantly allowed a staggered gasp to cross their lips at the reveal of who this person was that Brayden obviously had all the revulsion in the world for, but none more so than Cody.

While the younger twin could feel Bailey's anxious glare penetrating right through his core, the only thing he could possible succumb to think about was the immediate reminder of his own brother. He couldn't begin to imagine ever glowering at Zack with the same frenzied hatred that Brayden was directing with no signs of regret at his brother.

"Your brother?" Ty repeated with a newfound fury, "This is him? This is the guy who –"

"Not now, Ty," Nate warned sharply, peaking a new level in Cody and Bailey's interest.

With his hand still firmly planted on Brayden's shoulder, Nate and Brayden soon found themselves in a dead-set square off with Jase, Damon and the third boy. Ty was quick to join the line, while Hog stood back and subtly watched with narrowed eyes, ready to jump in if he was needed. Bailey, on the other hand, simply clutched tighter onto her boyfriend as Cody, too, was more than pleased to stay right back and do nothing but comfort his farm girl.

Damon smirked an evil leer and took a step or two out of line, "Nice for you to finally show your face, Lucas. Got anything you'd like to return to me?"

Nate shrugged, "A job's a job, Damon. Figured you'd know that."

Cody faintly gulped as he swore that he saw a vein in Damon's neck pulse in frustration.

"You tore apart my fucking car!" he screeched, "Now, instead of getting rid of all the parts, or selling them on the black market, or whatever the fuck you were planning on doing with them, how about you just give it all back to me so I can get on with punching your lights out? Or are we going to have to make things harder than that?"

Damon then shot a menacing stare at Jase, "As long as that's ok with you," he stated, rather than asked.

Jase simply heaved his shoulders in a shrug, and then turned to his brother, cracking his knuckles, "I'll take Brayden."

Brayden snorted, allowing himself to be pulsated with power under the tightening, protective grasp that Nate squeezed into his shoulder.

"I got another idea," he spoke simply, reaching his hand into his hoodie pocket.

Nate watched in wonderment as his younger friend did so, however, it wasn't long until the older boy realised what Brayden had planned.

"Aw, shit," he said reluctantly before taking a slow step backwards to stand beside Bailey, "Bailey, grab Cody's hand."

"…What?" Bailey asked in uncertainty, doing as she was told, "Buy why -?"

"Cya' later, fuckers!" Brayden suddenly screamed, lighting up the long object he had retrieved from his jumper and throwing it on the ground.

Before anyone had the opportunity to realise what was going on, a huge cloud of suffocating smoke suddenly filled the atmosphere around them, as Nate grabbed onto Bailey's hand, who, in turn hauled Cody behind her, and pulled them both away from the smoke flare that consumed itself in the lungs of the three boys, as Ty, Brayden and Hog all followed suit. All of them instinctively dropped each piece of automotive equipment that they held, and then set off running as fast as they possibly could away from Damon, Jase and any other hoodlum that may have certainly been in the same proximity, waiting for their chance to jump them.

"What now, bitches?" Brayden called back with a chuckle as he could faintly hear his brother and the other boys choking on the contaminated air around them. Reaching forward while they were still running, Nate slapped Brayden around the head, earning nothing but more laughs from he, Ty and Hog.

While trying to keep up pace with both her hands attached to Cody and Nate, Bailey looked behind her as best she could and glanced worriedly at her boyfriend, "Cody? Are you ok?"

Amongst all the smoke and noise and panted running going on around him, Cody failed to hear Bailey speak to him. The only thing that was racing through his mind as he continued to race along the footpath was his brother's face.

The mere thought of his older brother ever glaring at him the way that Brayden's had was enough to send a fearful shiver ricocheting up Cody's spine. The younger twin never, ever, not in a million years wanted to do anything to hurt Zack that badly, or make his brother hate him. Purely _hate_ him. The whole concept was completely impossible to fathom. But after everything they had been through in their final few hours together before the S.S. Tipton met its ultimate demise, the slightest inclination that made Cody feel that maybe Zack had already shot him one of those hateful expressions, perhaps off-handedly or when the younger twin hadn't been watching, was enough to make him want to collapse to the ground and simply give up right then and there.

* * *

They had to have been ploughing along for half an hour, at least, when Cody, Bailey and the others all finally came to a slowed halt and stood around in a circle, hunched over to catch their breath.

"We better have been at least running in the direction of Newberry," Cody quipped cynically amongst all the heaved panting.

"Hey," Ty sniped, "I'm not as dumb as I look."

Cody smirked, "I never said you were."

Ty paused for a moment, staring at Cody with what could have easily been almost a gleam in her pastel green eyes and then turned her head back to face the ground beneath her feet.

One thing that Cody, and Bailey, especially, had been noticing was that the closer that they came to Newberry, the nicer the area was that they found themselves residing in. All of the tall buildings that stood around them in this particular instant had hardly any traces of damage or graffiti coating them at all, however, it still seemed that there weren't many friendly, smiling citizens hanging around to greet them.

"And you, you little shit," Nate jibbed with a joking smile at Brayden after regaining his breath, "I thought I told you 'no more smoke flares'? You're going to get us arrested someday."

"Hey, I got rid of Damon and them, didn't I?" Brayden retorted smugly.

Nate forced himself not to laugh as he nodded his head proudly at Brayden and reached over to ruffle his hair.

Cody smiled at the obvious protective nature that glistened between Nate and Brayden. It was certainly a comforting thing to see, but at the same time, it only arose more questions in the younger twin's mind concerning Brayden and the visibly fractured relationship he had with his older brother, Jase. Deciding to break his silence, Cody then licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak, until he noticed Hog grab Bailey's arm out of the corner of his eye.

"Bailey," the redhead began in concern, "are you ok?"

Instantly forgetting every other thought that clouded his mind, Cody's eyes narrowed in fearful suspicion as he glared with hard worry at Bailey, "Ok? Why, what happened, what is he talking about?" the younger twin asked in a fluster.

"Good job, Hog," Nate said in a scolding tone as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Cody," Bailey spoke quietly, "It's ok, I'm alright."

"Well, it doesn't sound like you are," Cody argued, cupping his girlfriend's face in an attempt to calm the shaky tone in her voice.

Sighing to himself, Nate turned to the other three, "Right, Testosterone, Fistie Cuffs and Rent-a-Mouth," he said, pointing to Brayden, Ty and Hog respectively, "Take a walk. We'll catch up with ya' later."

As Brayden and Hog instantly turned on their heels to walk away, Ty prolonged a slightly uneasy stare at Cody and gently touched his arm, "Are you sure you don't want me to – "

"No, Ty, he doesn't," Nate answered for the blonde teen, "We're fine, just go with the other two, would ya'?"

Ty crinkled her brow in clear disproval, "Fine," she spat before turning around to catch up with the two boys.

The second that they were out of sight, Cody spun back around to face Bailey with palpable anxiety smothered all over his face, "Will you please tell me what happened?"

The farm girl swallowed, stuttering over an answer to the demanding manner of Cody's request, until Nate simply cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"I'll put this in simple terms, ok?" he asked, crossing his arms as Cody nodded his head, "Alright, well, when you ran after Ty and helped her with the box she was carrying, Bailey tried to follow you. Once you two were gone she was still standing in the middle road and almost got hit by a car."

Cody immediately felt his heart descend with a painful thud into the pit of his stomach, "What?" he yelled, forcing himself to resist the urge to throw up in angst.

"Chill out, man," Nate said consolingly, "She's in one piece, isn't she?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Cody recommenced, frantically looking back to Bailey and locking his now paled blue eyes with her own, "I'm so sorry I let that happen to you," he mumbled, his expression still wide with shock and an overwhelmed sadness.

"Cody," Bailey soothed, "It's ok. I'm ok. And it wasn't your fault," she spoke assuredly. A grateful smile soon wiped across her mouth, "Besides, Nate was the one who pulled me out of the way."

His eyes still wide, Cody then stared at Nate with a look of total bewilderment, "You saved her?" he questioned softly.

Nate shrugged, "Don't worry about it. It could've just as easily been Ty if you didn't run out in the street to help her with the car parts."

"He's right, Cody," Bailey countered, "I think was amazing that you helped her without a thought like that."

"Well even so," Cody said, trying to drop the subject, "I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry, Bailey. I promise I'll never let anything like that happen to you ever again."

"Oh, Cody," Bailey cooed happily, draping her arms around her boyfriend's neck as she sighed in relief at the sensation of his warm breath humming against her shoulder. Cody felt just as relieved to have Bailey safely in his grip. He couldn't imagine ever losing her. Being without Zack was bad enough. If Bailey wasn't with him, for whatever reason, he was certain that he himself wouldn't survive.

"Ok, that's enough of that," Nate declared, breaking into the couple's embrace as he hung an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Thanks, Nate," Cody said with genuine sincerity, as he brought his arm up and patted his older friend's chest, "I never would've forgiven myself if – "

"Didn't I just say enough of that, bro?" Nate repeated with mock warning.

As soon as the last word left the older boy's mouth, Bailey's appearance dropped in concern as she shifted her vision to glance worriedly at Cody. Any reminder of Zack could be a bad one, she thought, and in all honesty, as much as she and Cody knew each other inside and out, she didn't have the slightest clue how anyone else ever calling him 'bro' would affect him. However, as soon as she caught eye contact with him, much to her surprise, Cody simply let a subtle grin cross his lips as he nodded his head, telling her that it was ok. In a matter of moments, a similar look of elation had found its way amongst Bailey's features. It had been too long since a reference to his big brother had actually made Cody smile.

"Now c'mon," Nate resumed, "if my calculations are correct, we're only about another hour and a half's walk away from Newberry."

Feeling his rejuvenated heart swell in anticipation, Cody beamed as Nate released he and Bailey from his grip and the three began walking in the direction that Ty and the two boys had gone.

A slight frown suddenly creased in the younger twin's forehead as a perplexed thought then re-arrived in his mind, "So… what's the deal with Brayden and his brother?"

Without a second's thought, Nate snorted in disgust and shook his head, "That's a question you're going to have to ask Bray, bro."

* * *

"It was about a year ago," Brayden said, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

Once again, after a long day's trek, the group of kids had all found another abandoned little abode good enough for them to spend the night in. It had only taken Brayden a matter of minutes for him to pick a suitable place and then chuck a rock to shatter one of its windows, just to make sure that there wasn't actually anyone staying there. The original plan was for all six of them to crawl in through the broken window but Nate had instead demanded that Brayden go first and unlock the back door for Bailey. Ty had simply stood by, laughing that she hadn't been mentioned where the farm girl had.

Now, they all found themselves in what was certainly the smallest, and quite possibly the smelliest, out of the three places that they had stayed and were getting stuck into a couple of bags on barely edible fish and chips that Nate had bought with his money from 'X' from a dodgy take-away bar up the street.

As soon as they were all settled as well as they could be, Cody had again dared to bring up the topic of Brayden's brother, Jase.

"After my parents split," Brayden continued, nervously fiddling with his rat's tail, "Dad pissed off as quick as anything, so there was only Mum, Jase and me. But it didn't take long for her to lose all her fucking marbles."

Cody wrapped his arm tighter around Bailey as he felt her sigh in gloomy sympathy.

Brayden inhaled more of the poisoning tobacco, "Jase said he couldn't stand living with her anymore, so he was going to run away. I begged him to take me with him."

"How come?" Bailey asked quietly.

Brayden stopped for a moment, cynically chuckling to himself, "Because my big brother was my hero. I wanted to be wherever he was."

Cody instantly felt himself shake slightly as the exact same feeling briskly began coursing through his veins.

"Once we were gone, we were gone. We never saw Mum again," Brayden went on, his expression then changing, "But Jase changed."

The saddening tone in the teenager's voice sent a dull shiver up everyone's spine.

"He was angry at me all the time. Nothing I ever did was good enough anymore. So he'd beat me up." He paused again. "He always used to say; 'Just like Dad would hit Mum, Bray!' 'C'mon, be a man, Bray!' 'Hack it, Bray!'"

Cody's head shifted as he spotted a small, desolate tear roll down the side of Bailey's cheek.

"It was still a couple of months off my fifteenth birthday," Brayden said in almost a whisper, "A fucking fourteen year old _kid_."

Finally deciding that enough was enough, Nate stood up from the ground and placed a strong hand back on Brayden's shoulder, "I found him when he was knocking around with Hog," Nate explained, "The two of them were actually running from Jase at the time, right, Hog?"

Hog nodded his head somberly, "I don't think he liked that Bray didn't need him anymore."

"And I've been stuck with them ever since," Nate concluded with a joking smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Thank God," Brayden added, putting out the bud to his smoke, "The only person about as controlling as Jase is Ty."

Ty rolled her eyes where she sat on the ground, "Fuck you," she said simply.

Cody sighed wistfully, taking comfort in the fact that Bailey's head was still nuzzled into his shoulder, but still, unable to escape the thought of Zack that continued to revolve through his mind. He tried to picture a similar scenario ever exploding between he and his twin, but no such visions ever allowed themselves to come to life amongst the rest of his thoughts. He knew that deep down, between he and Zack, anyway, that no amount of words of arguments exchanged could ever truly change how they both were.

"You have to imagine that he's still the same person inside, though, right?" the younger twin asked wisely.

Bailey lifted her head up at the notion of what Cody was saying and watched in concern as Brayden raised a confused eyebrow.

"You're kidding, aren't ya'? Dude, my brother changed. He's messed in the head, he's not the same person he was."

Cody frowned, "Well, did you ever try to talk it out with him?"

Brayden laughed, "Talk it out? The only talking Jase does is with his fists. He doesn't care about me, and especially not the way I'm feeling. Get real."

Biting her lip, Bailey tenderly took a hold of Cody's arm as she noticed not just the energetic annoyance she could sense taking over him, but also the strange looks that Nate, Ty and Hog were all directing at him.

"Calm down," she spoke in the most faint and delicate whisper humanly possible, but Cody only shrugged out of her grip.

"Come on, Brayden, he's your big brother, isn't it worth a shot?"

Again, Brayden only snorted a laugh, "Worth a shot? Please, the only shot I want is to push him off a cliff, cause believe me, Cody, I'd fucking take it."

Before another single word could be spoken, Bailey jumped in surprise, as did everyone else, as Cody leapt up from his seat and stood tall over Brayden.

"How could you say that?" he yelled.

Brayden frowned in deep offense as he, too, got up and squared off with the younger twin, "Cause he wrecked what was left of my life, that's how!"

As Hog watched on in total awe and confusion, Nate and Ty both shot Bailey a questioning glance, though all the farm girl could force herself to do was stare anxiously and the younger twin, preparing herself for what could possibly be another break down.

Cody's heart was thundering with pure rage in his chest. Although he could clearly see the distinct level of heartache that Brayden's story held over his, the younger twin was still horrified to hear how anyone, no matter who it was, could simply wish their older brother away while he was clawing with every tooth and bone he had to find his own safe and sound – and alive.

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what all big brothers are like?" Cody challenged sharply. "Controlling and detached and… yeah, ok, maybe hurtful sometimes," he admitted, forcing the dangerous tears welling up his eyes not to fall, "But that's their job! And you know that no matter what the both of you do or say," the younger twin felt the frog his throat croak defiantly as his ideas throughout his rant remained on Zack, "…you still love each other."

Bailey instantly felt her heart break.

"Are you serious? Love?" Brayden spat, "You know what I'd love? I'd _love_ for Jase to be dead!" he screamed, "In fact, I _wish_ Jason was dead!"

Cody let out a single hyperventilating breath as he felt his last possible heart string shatter to a million pieces, "Fuck you!" he screamed, and dived straight at Brayden.

In a matter of moments, Bailey, Hog and the Lucas cousins were all yelling and shouting as Cody and Brayden found themselves in a fierce wrestle on the ground, punching, clawing and kicking at each other with full force.

"Cody!" Bailey shrieked.

"Alright, alright! That's enough!" Nate thundered, ripping the two teenagers apart. "You, sit the fuck down!" he commanded, pushing Brayden against the wall before he slid down to the floor. Next the older boy turned to face Cody, "What is your problem, bro?"

"Nate – " Bailey began to warn him for calling the younger twin 'bro' again, though he quickly interrupted her.

"It's not fair!" the Cody declared.

"Yeah, well neither's life," Ty spoke in lethal sarcasm.

"Keep your opinion to yourself, Ty!" Nate scolded, re-facing Cody, "What isn't fair?"

Cody didn't miss a beat. "The fact that he wishes his big brother was dead when I'm praying to God that mine's alive!"

Bailey rapidly let a choking sob escape the back of her throat while all others in the room diverted to a stunning silence. Brayden's face had softened, Hog still looked confused, Nate stared with hard concern at his younger friend and Ty, for once her life, allowed a genuine emotion of sadness to cross her appearance.

Nate swallowed, nervously noticing that the younger twin was shaking, "Cody – "

"Keep an eye on Bailey," Cody cut him off through gritted teeth. Then before anyone had the chance to stop him, the blonde teen turned swiftly on his heels and stormed out of the dingy loft.

It was indescribably painful for Cody to think of Zack meeting such an untimely demise, while Brayden couldn't seem to care less about his brother. It was exactly as he had stated it – unfair. And as he continued to roam aimlessly up the darkened city street with nothing to keep him company but the horrifying thoughts of his missing older twin brother, Cody then did something that he hadn't been able to do since that first night all those days ago without Zack.

He cried.

* * *

**Wow, I almost hate myself for writing something that heart-wretching. Almost... (:**

**Hello everybody! I don't suppose there's much to say here other than I'd love to hear your opinion on the reveal of both Bray's, and more importantly, Cody's pasts. I hope you all enjoyed the journey that this chapter took, and of course, reviews are always welcome - and appreciated :)**

**Thnaks guys!**

**Reneyyyyyyy x.  
**


	13. One Mean UpperCut

'And if I cannot have you  
no one can, you're my  
My darling,  
'cause I possess your soul, your mind,  
your heart and your body.'  
_**My Darling - Eminem.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Thirteen - One Mean Upper-Cut.  
**

* * *

Officer Jeffrey Matthews sat frozen in the front seat of his car, tapping his fingers apprehensively on his steering wheel and staring up at the daunting building that stood before him. Newberry General hospital.

Sighing to himself, Matthews snapped back into reality and reached over to the glove box of his car, searching feverishly amongst the various scraps of paper and documentation until he finally came across his notebook. Flipping it open, his eyes scanned the page and stopped suddenly at the memo he had made to check in at the busy hospital in the hope of finding any sign of Cody Martin. If his mother had been right and Cody really was a persistent and determined enough person to claw his way numerous miles across the state of California purely in the hope of finding his brother alive, then it was only completely plausible logic that the younger twin could be here, wasn't it?

As this thought of optimism continued to linger through Matthews' mind, he stuffed his notepad into the breast pocket of his jacket before climbing out of his patrol car and locking the door behind him.

The walk towards the large double doors that lead into the lobby of the hospital was one that felt like a lifetime to Matthews. There was an extremely unusual feeling that had uninvitedly graced itself in the pit of the officer's stomach. It was common sense for all people in his line of work to never, under any circumstances, get emotionally attached to any case they happened to find themselves in. But there was something about this particular story, not that necessarily touched him emotionally, but simply worried him. Really worried him.

In all truth and honesty, as much as Cody had scared the living hell out of both of his parents by performing such a devastating disappearing act, the definite best case scenario would be for Matthews' assumption to be correct and that the twin was safe and sound between the four walls of Newberry General. If he wasn't, what worried Matthews was that the grief-ridden sixteen year old boy was still out in the big, wide, cruel world by himself somewhere with nothing to protect him. And what was perhaps even more frightening was that this dreadful thought was still nowhere near considered as being the _worst_ case scenario.

As soon as Jeffrey Matthews walked through the automatic doors, it became extremely apparent just how manic and frenzied the reality of Newberry General hospital truly was. Matthews' eyes widened in surprise at the pure hysteria that surrounded him as various doctors and nurses ran around fulfilling orders and duties, kicking out members of the paparazzi who had managed to sneak their way into the lobby, as well as responding to the several beeping and flat-lined tones that droned throughout the building's walls.

Finally making his approach to the front desk, Matthews took his cap off and smiled warmly and comfortingly at the obvious stressed receptionist who sat behind the desk.

"Yes?" she asked with a frustrated groan, spying Matthews' badge that he displayed on his shirt, "How may I help you, officer?"

"I'm here to make an enquiry about a boy," Matthews responded, cutting straight to the point.

"I assume you're referring to the S.S. Tipton capsize?" the woman went on, sighing when Matthews nodded his confirmation, "Look, I'm sorry, but the families of those who have been positively identified from the capsize have been contacted, but until any further identifications can be made, I've been instructed not to allow anybody access to the anonymous patients."

"No, I'm not talking about a patient," Matthews argued, "A possible patient's brother, actually."

The receptionist watched with a raised eyebrow as Matthews then dug into the pocket of his uniformed shirt and revealed a picture of Zack and Cody, "The boy on the left - well, not that it matters when we're talking about twins, I suppose," he said with a light-hearted smirk, "Have you seen him around here at all?"

The blonde receptionist examined the picture of the two boys for a few long seconds. The twin set of happy, smiling faces certainly brought her heart a ton of good, especially considering the hectic few days that everyone in the hospital had been forced to live through. The boys were standing arm in arm and were leant up against a metal railing with a magnificent backdrop of the bright, clear, blue ocean and a perfectly cloudless sky behind them. It was obviously a picture taken while they had been staying on the S.S. Tipton, as their wide, carefree smiles confirmed. However, almost as quickly as the woman's pleasant grin had appeared, it soon diminished from her face.

"Again, I'm sorry," she spoke sadly, "I haven't seen anyone who resembles them. Visitor or patient."

The news collapsed like a ton of bricks on Matthews' shoulders as he gritted his teeth together in frustration. His search for Cody Martin was far from over, and was now only going to become a lot harder with no other obvious leads. It was without question a road that he was hoping he wouldn't have to travel down.

"Look, if it were any other incident I normally wouldn't do this," the receptionist then recommenced, "But if you can promise me you'll be discreet about it, you can take a quick look in all the rooms to see if his brother is actually here, if you'd like?"

Matthews immediately raised his brow in surprise at the offer. While the mystery of Zack's fate was an unknown obscurity that seemed to be tearing apart the lives of everybody who cared about him, the thought of the entire tragedy had never really crossed Matthews' mind even once. He had been directed to find Cody, not his brother. And even though the notion of laying to rest what he estimated was purely inevitable heartbreak for all those close to Zack, the temptation of that spoke nowhere near as loudly to him as what sticking to the requirements of his job did.

"No. No, thank you," he declined, placing his hat back on his head. With that then said, he exhaled another deep sigh and turned on his heels, "And thank you for your help, but I have an investigation to continue with."

* * *

Cody was alone. Both literally and emotionally.

At first his dramatic departure from Bailey and all the others had been executed in a swift jog, but eventually he had slowed to a dragging walk, and finally, stopped completely, collapsing in a tired heap on a bench in a quiet, empty park.

His shoulders shook in a combination of panted breaths and silent sobs as he could sense the salty tears that caressed his cheeks begin to harden over across his face. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, pushing his hair out of the way at the same time. His body hurt all over, but no place more so than the left side of his chest and his jaw where he suspected Brayden had planted a good few swings when the two had been fighting.

Thinking back to how much he had exploded in emotion back at the loft and how he sat in a pile of complete desolation now, Cody felt incredibly pathetic.

The younger twin's sentiments were a bizarre mixture of idiocy and, still, extreme anger. He could hardly believe that he had seriously expected himself to keep his emotions on such a low key while he traveled across the city with Nate and company. Who was he kidding? Even now, he could still feel himself breaking away piece by piece from the inside out being without Zack.

This thought brought a fresh set of noiseless tears to the brink of Cody's vision. While he could understand completely how much he had insanely overreacted, his feelings of intense fury slowly began to seep back through to his core as Brayden's words about his brother, Jase, re-emerged in his mind.

What Cody couldn't understand was how one could find so much hate for their own flesh and blood. It didn't make sense to him in the slightest. There was only one sole thing that Brayden had said that Cody entirely agreed with, and although the other blonde teen had meant his comprehension in total sarcasm, Cody's perception was one that he knew would always be true. His big brother was his hero.

That was as far as their similarities went. Brayden hated Jase, and Jase obviously held just as much resent for Brayden, but Cody knew without doubt that this was far from any way he would ever feel about Zack. Zack was worth more than that. Zack was a sensation of total and utter yearning that made him feel sick in the stomach.

Zack was _everything_ to Cody.

"Found 'ya."

Suddenly snapping out of his deep trance, Cody's neck jolted up as he squinted his eyes at the lone image of Ty that soon entered his vision. Quickly wiping his eyes again, Cody took a deep breath as Ty made her gradual approach.

"Finally."

Cody rolled his eyes, "Not now, Ty. I just want to be by myself."

The younger twin was not surprised when the dark-haired girl ignored him and simply took a seat next to him on the park bench. He waited nervously as she seemingly allowed a dull silence to take over for a minute or two.

"Bray's got a bloody nose," she eventually spoke, "Good job."

Cody ignored her comment, "Where's Bailey?"

"Calm down, she's with Nate. She's fine."

Ty raised a suspicious eyebrow as Cody merely nodded his head, his eyes permanently focused on the ground beneath his feet.

"Are you?"

Cody almost laughed in sarcasm, "Never better."

"Don't get smart," she warned sharply. She allowed her tone to soften again, "She's explaining to everyone what happened."

Again, Cody nodded his head. He only expected that the other teens wouldn't give Bailey a break until she started spelling things out for them.

"Well, I don't need any sympathy if that's why you're here," he then spat at Ty.

"It's not," she sniped back, "I left before she even began running her mouth."

His brow instantly creasing in a deep frown, Cody brought his head back up and looked at Ty through his red eyes.

"I want to hear it from you," she informed him simply.

Scoffing to himself, Cody shook his head, "Forget it."

"Cody – "

"No, I don't want to talk about it, ok?"

Gritting her teeth in a scowling expression, Ty bit her tongue at Cody's sniping tone and slumped back in her seat, stewing in annoyance at the renewed silence.

Ty had never been one to ask for much, but more than anything she wanted to be allowed access into Cody's mind. She wasn't even particularly sure why, but she craved the opportunity to get in his head and see what he thought and why. She wanted to understand him, more than she had ever wanted to connect with anyone else in her entire life. There was something special about Cody, she could tell. All she needed to do was get him to open up more.

Open up, she thought again as her eyes glistened cunningly and the cogs in her mind began to turn.

Basking in the quiet stillness for a moment or two longer, Ty sighed, readying herself for a conversation she never expected to have with anyone for as long as she lived.

"My parents never wanted a kid."

Cody's face shot back up, wide-eyed, "Ty, you don't have to – "

"No, if you're not going to share your story, then I'm telling mine," Ty fiercely interjected. She took another second to re-gather her thoughts, "Pair of complete fuckwits. Too much heart to give me up, not enough brains to raise me properly."

Cody cringed at the tone of Ty's voice. There wasn't a single ambiguity in his mind that protested that Carey and Kurt would make sure that he didn't see the light of day again until his was thirty if he ever spoke about them that way.

"I suppose I had it alright," she went on, "Nice house, good school, whatever else."

Her pale green eyes suddenly narrowed, "But it's still scary being a seven year old kid and sitting on the staircase at three in the morning wondering when, and if, Mum and Dad were coming home."

A vast sadness immediately drowned Cody's eyes as he locked his blue orbs with the emerald ones of Ty. Their gaze held strong until the dark-haired girl abruptly looked away with a hard expression as she lit up a cigarette. Showing emotion was not an option for her.

"So, yeah," she went on, taking a long drag, "I just carried on. I dealt with the fact that they never took any interest in anything I did or ever wanted to do. I didn't mind being on my own all the time or not having anyone to trust."

A cynical glimmer suddenly flickered in her eyes.

"It was only when I started acting up that they started paying attention," she said, noting Cody's curiosity peak, "When I started Middle School, and people started bothering me, I started bothering them back. Except I was better at it. After God knows how many detentions and meetings with my teachers I had for fighting, graffiti, smoking, throwing chairs or whatever it may have been, I finally got expelled for spitting in the principal's face after throwing a girl out a window."

Cody's jaw gaped in horror as Ty glanced at him and frowned, "Don't look at me like that! It was the ground floor."

Cody blinked in disbelief, "Well, that's ok then," he said sarcastically.

"Anyway," she said harshly, "my parents decided that I needed professional help. They took me to some whack-job psychiatrist, like, twice a week and he'd tried to get me to talk about my, quote, 'emotional problems'. What a load of shit."

Cody purely continued to nod his head, at a loss of what to say.

"I think the ol' doc was getting annoyed that I wouldn't talk to him, 'cause the next thing I know, he's called Dad in one day and explains to both of us that he's giving me some pills to take. Depression or anxiety or some shit like that. Like everything wrong with me was my fault, like nothing going on in my life had any effect based on the life my parents had given me."

Cody sighed, "So, what did you do?"

Ty snorted a laugh, "I wasn't happy, I can tell you that. I refused to take anything that the doctor tried to give me. May or may not have trashed the surgery… Dad took me home after my little 'melt-down' and we argued worse than we ever had before. Mum wasn't home, of course, so when I became too much for him to handle, he figured he could shut me up by back-handing me right across the face."

Cody gasped, shocked by the casual approach in Ty's expression.

"So that's when I finally pissed off."

All of a sudden, Ty came to a sharp pause, a mixture of thoughts flying through her mind, "…And I suppose that's why I am how I am now."

The unmistakable sound of a twinge of raw emotion in her voice made Ty, herself, flinch in uncertainty. She looked back to Cody and registered the sympathetic gaze in his eyes.

"It's because of my parents that I'm reserved and destructive and, yeah, probably a bit messed up. They took away any ability I ever had to trust people."

Cody could feel his chest aching in misery at the painful recollections spewing from Ty's subconscious. He couldn't even begin to imagine ever feeling so disconnected from the world around him, not to mention having no-one to blame for that except for the two people who were meant to love him more than anyone else – his parents. It was only starting to become clear to him why Ty always seemed to have an aura of pure emptiness circling around her. And it was one that the younger twin felt he had an inevitable share in.

"That's why I told you I didn't like the fact that you didn't use the 'bad-boy' approach," she prolonged, "Because people who act nice are just waiting for an opportunity to screw you over." She stopped again, her brow creasing in desperate thought, "But you…"

Cody forced his eyes to lock with Ty's again as he waited with a breath held in for her to finish her sentence. Exploring the features of his soft face, Ty allowed the baby-blue colour of Cody's bright eyes to swell an unfamiliar feeling in the chambers of her heart as a small, but visible, smile formed across her lips.

"You're different, Cody," she spoke, "You care."

The younger twin tried to hide his utter amazement as he simply smiled back at the green-eyed mess before him.

It was only a matter of seconds before the two of them recognised that yet another silence had fallen between them. Re-living everything she had just said amid the chaos of her mind, Ty cautiously licked her lips and raised an eyebrow at Cody. There was no way in hell that she was going to let him keep his mouth shut when she had just explored an array of emotions and stories that she had blocked out of her mind for what felt like forever. No way.

"Your turn."

As he felt his protective shield of comfort shatter around him, all expression fell from Cody's face as Ty waited anxiously for him to reveal the reason behind his desperate quest to Newberry hospital.

Remembering the explosion between he and Brayden, Ty impatiently forced him to take a first step, "You have a brother?"

Cody swallowed back a chunk of nerves as he wiped his brow and slowly nodded his head, "Zack."

The mere sensation of saying his brother's name sent a sharp shiver up the younger twin's spine.

"Zack," Ty repeated, "And he's older than you?"

Cody nodded.

"By how much?"

Fixing his vision straight ahead of him, Cody opened his mouth again, "Ten."

"Years?" Ty asked, frowning as a slight chuckle emitted from Cody's lips.

"Minutes."

The black-haired girl's eyes widened in surprise, "Twins?" she asked, putting out her cigarette as she lit another one.

"Did you hear about the S.S. Tipton capsize a few days ago?" Cody went straight on, not seeing any point in answering what was an obvious question.

"Yeah, who didn't?" Ty replied, "All those people getting wasted – didn't know there were any ice bergs off the west coast."

The girl's joke was like a bullet through Cody's heart.

"Me and Bailey and Zack were on the ship when it happened," he sniped, observing the gaping of Ty's jaw, "Bailey and I were saved. Zack…"

That was about all Cody could say until he sensed the urge to cry creep back up on him. Biting down hard on the inside of her lip in anger with herself, Ty gently touched the younger twin's shoulder, "Cody, I – "

"That's why we're trying to get to Newberry," Cody cut in, "Because that's where all the casualties have been taken, and I don't care what anyone tries to tell me, I _know_ my brother's alive."

A further despondency stowed itself away in the depths of Ty's heart as she watched with intent at the emotional rollercoaster that was forcing itself onto Cody just by him simply talking of his brother. It purely astonished her.

"You care about your brother that much that you would put yours and Bailey's life at risk just to find him?"

Attempting to cover a vicious sob that choked the back of his throat, Cody shrugged, "Of course." His voice suddenly lost the majority, if not all, of its stability as Cody trailed off in despair, "I just hope he knows that," he murmured, gazing up at the twinkling stars that covered the black velvet sky above his head.

"Well, why wouldn't he?" Ty asked softly.

Cody heaved a shaky sigh, "Right before it happened, we had a huge fight. I told him I didn't want him near me every waking minute of the day. That I wanted him to stop ruining my life. I know how wrong I was now," he said with a pause, looking at Ty, "after hearing what you and Brayden and Hog went through. Zack wasn't trying to ruin my life. He'd never want this kind of life for me."

Cody stopped for a moment to appreciate what he was saying. As much as it pained him to see the way the Nate and Ty and the other two boys lived day in and day out, he was endlessly thankful that it was the same kind of life that proved to him that Zack never wanted to purposely interfere in his time with Bailey, or anything else. The stories that the younger twin had heard from his new friends about the kind of families and home-life they had came from only showed him with no shadow of a doubt that Zack was, and always had been, a God send for him.

"After everything we've been through; all that we've ever done for each other – I don't want to leave it like this."

Ty shook her head with a shrug of her shoulders, "So don't."

In the next instant, she leapt up from the bench with a seemingly new spring in her step and reached her hand out to Cody's, "Let's go back so you can make up with Bray and then tomorrow morning we can get back on our way to finding Zack for you."

As their eyes met once more, Cody shifted his vision to Ty's extended hand. The genuine gesture was enough to send the younger twin's hopes to a skyrocketing new height, as he stretched his own hand up without a second's thought and linked up with Ty as she pulled him off the bench.

Dropping his hand back to his side, Cody re-directed his vision to the starry night sky and took in a deep, nervous breath, before he gazed back at his dark-haired companion and was blissfully stunned to see that she was still smiling.

* * *

Bailey smiled faintly at the cartoon version of herself that Nate had drawn on the front steps of the loft. She tilted her head, "My ears aren't really that big, are they?"

Nate licked his lips and narrowed his eyes, carefully hesitating his answer, before the both of them soon shot their heads up at the sudden sound of Cody's voice in the immediate distance.

"Bailey?"

The farm-girl's eyes widened in relief, "Cody!"

Leaping up from where she sat on the ground, Bailey bolted towards the younger twin and viciously threw her arms around Cody's torso, softly placing a single kiss on his neck.

"Are you ok, sweetie?"

"I'm fine," Cody assured her, "I'm fine, Bailey."

Holding his girlfriend at arm's length, Cody looked into Bailey's eyes and smiled, "I'm sorry I left you. Again. I just needed some time by myself."

"Cody, it's ok. It's totally ok," Bailey spoke sweetly. In the next instant, the blonde southerner curiously eyed Ty as she walked up to where the others stood.

"Ty?" Nate asked with a frown, "I was wondering where you disappeared to."

The gothic girl shrugged, "I just figured Cody needed someone to talk to."

Bailey's jaw hardened in a flicker of anger, "Well, thanks, Ty. You're alright now, though, aren't you, Cody?"

Cody nodded his head and put an arm back around his Southern Belle, "I am now."

Hiding her conceited smile, Bailey rested her head on Cody's shoulder as Ty rolled her eyes.

Oblivious to the entire situation, Nate's mind was somewhere else. As soon as Cody had left the loft, Bailey had – with some convincing – revealed to the rest of the group why it was that her boyfriend had become so frenzied at Brayden's story of Jase. Hearing the shockingly heartbreaking account of Zack Martin had instantly caused an avalanche of emotion to overwhelm Nate to the brink.

"Look, Cody," the older boy began awkwardly, "Bailey told me what happened. I'm sorry, bro- uh, I mean…"

Cody almost laughed at the stuttering expression in Nate's voice, "Nate, it's ok. Don't worry about it," he reassured him. Swallowing some sour nerves, Cody then licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak again, "Ok, bro?"

An immense happiness immediately swelled in Bailey's heart as she watched a smirk of confidence cross from Cody's face to Nate's, as the two nodded their heads in an instant understanding. She knew as well as her boyfriend did that after everything they had been through thus far, if anyone else ever deserved that title, Nate certainly did.

"There's just one more thing you need to do," Nate then spoke. He turned around slightly and called beyond the open front door, "Bray! Get out here."

All expression fell from Cody's face while he sensed his confidence rapidly being replaced by further anxiousness as Brayden appeared on the front steps of the loft, holding his black hoodie to his nose, assumingly, catching any blood that dared to fall.

Cody gulped slightly. He knew that not only was that undoubtedly the only shot he would've put on Brayden, but it was also a connection of nothing but wholesome luck.

"Brayden, I'm… uh, I'm – "

"_I'm_ sorry," Brayden cut in, "Cody, I wouldn't have said those things if I had known… you know."

"Yeah," Cody answered simply, "Thanks. I'm sorry, too."

Brayden grinned, "You got a swing on ya'. Cool?"

Cody watched in delight as Brayden extended a hand, "Cool," he echoed, joining hands with the opposite blonde to shake.

"That's more like it," Nate said, happily clapping each boy on the back, "Cody, we'll work on that mean right upper-cut you got going on later. How about we hit the hay?"

Cody immediately nodded his head, the thought of sleep – or rest, rather, as the first would probably fail – bringing a calm stillness to his unruly thoughts.

"Then we'll be back on track in the morning, right, Ty?" Cody asked, looking at the black-haired girl with hopeful eyes.

"Of course," Ty answered, the nod of her head reviving the bright smile across Cody's lips. She then watched with a cocked eyebrow while Cody said his goodnight to Nate, saying something quietly to Bailey with a smirk before the two of them, and Brayden, then returned indoors. The enlightening dazzle in her eyes instantly faded as Cody disappeared with his girlfriend, and as he caught onto this, Nate frowned.

"Ty?" he said uneasily, crossing his arms as his cousin turned to look at him, "What are you thinking?"

Ty's green eyes blinked as she gawked at Nate with total innocence, "What do you mean?"

"I mean the way you're looking at him," Nate sniped, "I don't like it."

Ty rolled her eyes and forced her eyes away from her cousin, focusing them on the front door.

All her life, Ty had to deal with people who never for one second thought about her, or anyone else, for that matter – only themselves. But Cody was different. Cody cared. Cody went out on a limb for those he loved. He listened, he understood, he was smart, he was daring and, most importantly, he was trustworthy. Yes, Cody was different. And Ty liked it.

"Ty?" Nate spat again, derailing her train of thought, "Whatever you're thinking about, stop thinking about it. He's with Bailey. He's happy. Don't ruin that for him. Just take him to Newberry like he's asking – be his friend."

Ty turned back to face Nate with a questioning glance, "His friend?"

Nate challenged her expression, "You can't have him, Ty."

Ty growled under her breath, "Ok," she replied cleanly.

"Say it," Nate demanded, "I want to hear you say that you can't have him."

"Ok, ok," she beseeched him with a small laugh, "I can't have him."

Nate remained frozen in his position, glaring down Ty and scrutinizing every aspect of her stance, behaviour and persona, searching scrupulously for any sign that might tell him that she was lying to him.

After what felt like an eternity of trying to keep a straight face, Ty allowed her features to soften as Nate slowly nodded his head and muttered a quiet 'good' before he turned on his heels and went back inside to join the others.

The precise second that he was gone, Ty's brow furrowed in a deep, defiant frown.

Cody was the closet thing to perfect that Ty had ever had in her entire life. Nobody was taking him away from her. Or keeping her from him.

"But if I can't have him… no-one can."

* * *

**Hello guys and girls :)**

**Wow! Look at this, just under a week, and Reney's back! :D LOL. I have been asked a couple of times this week to try and update fatser, which I will most certainly attempt, considering we're starting to get right down to the nitty-gritty of this story, so I'm going to be concentrating on it for the moment, but future updates may still be spaced out for a while to come as I've got two weeks of year 11 left before I have my final exams and then start year 12. So in the most loving way possible, give me a break, haha :P**

**Sooo, what did we think here? Bet you all hated that Matthews wouldn't check to see if Zack was at the hospital, right? And what do we think of crazy, obsessive Ty being... crazy and obsessive? Not to mention Cody finally coming clean about Zack! Reviews for this chapter will be greatly apprecited :) Thanks guys!**

**Reneyyyyyyy x.  
**


	14. Selfish

'I will never know myself until I do this on my own  
And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed  
I will never be anything till I break away from me  
I will break away, I'll find myself today.'  
_**Somewhere I Belong - Linkin Park.**_

_**

* * *

**_**Chapter Fourteen - Selfish.**

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* * *

**

Ty sat in the corner of the small room and watched with a glisten in her pale eyes as Nate attempted to teach Cody how to properly wield his strong, right fist in an upper-cut, like he had said he would. Bailey was sitting nearby, too, and wasn't exactly looking all that impressed with what was going on, but for some reason, was still finding any excuse or opportunity to have a laugh with her boyfriend. A flame of jealousy flickered in the pit of Ty's stomach.

Nate was trying to show Cody how to fake and block with his left arm and then swing up from underneath with his right, although, the younger twin wasn't particularly catching on as quick as Nate had hoped. While her older cousin may have been getting slightly annoyed, Ty simply smiled. Every imperfection of Cody's was still perfect to her.

"Hello? Hog calling Ty…?"

Snapping out of her trance, Ty blinked at looked straight into the eyes of Hog, whose face was only inches away from hers.

"What?" she snapped.

Flinching in surprise, Hog held his hands up in self-defense, "I just want to know what's going on."

"Yeah," Brayden chimed in, "How long does it take to figure out where we're going?"

"Well excuse me if I've been trying to decipher the fastest and most sufficient way to get across town," the dark-haired girl sniped back.

Falling back to a shallow silence, Ty chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. She had been awake for hours deliberating what to do and where to lead the rest of the group once the time came. After examining every inch of the virtual map that she could read in her mind, she had soon made her decision. And she was certain that it was one that would eventually make Cody very happy.

"Alright," she announced, standing up with her arms crossed against her chest, "Let's go."

Flicking his head up at the booming sound of the girl's voice, Cody looked over to Ty, panting heavily from his work out with Nate.

"You've figured out where we're going?" he asked, "Do you think we'll get much further?"

"Not if you stand around here and let Nate beat you up all day," Ty replied jokingly.

Cody scoffed, "Hey, come on! I was just starting to get good at it, right, Nate?"

In a moment of hesitation, Nate looked at Bailey and tried to contain his laughter as she shook her head with a giggling smile.

"Let's just hope you don't get into a real punch up anytime soon," the older boy conceited with a grin.

As the rest of the group burst into an array of laughter, Bailey stood up and wrapped a sympathetic arm around Cody's torso, "Aw, don't worry, sweetie. I know you'd bring your all if ever need be."

"Well, yeah," Cody agreed, kissing her softly on the crown of her head, "Especially if I was defending you."

Instantly feeling the urge to wretch in disgust at Bailey's cute, embarrassed, tittering laugh, Ty barged past the couple and stood out on the front porch of the small loft. As the others began to follow behind her, the gothic girl's eyes suddenly came into contact with the cartoon of Cody's Southern Belle that mockingly glared back at her from the ground. In one swift movement of subtlety, Ty angrily scraped her foot along the drawing that Nate had composed the previous night, scratching away at the ink marks as they ran out of line across the cold, wooden floor.

"So, where are we gonna' go, cuz?" Nate asked.

Snapping her neck up in surprise, Ty gritted her teeth in a final wavering second as Nate instantly derailed her train of thought, before gesturing up the street in the direction that she had chased after Cody the night before.

"We need to cross through the park where Cody and I were last night."

"Sounds good," Cody responded, grabbing Bailey's hand as the two of them plus Hog and Brayden briskly began to walk ahead. As they did so, Nate frowned and kept a leery eye on his cousin while she carelessly plodded down the front steps.

"Over that way?" the older Lucas asked, "Are you sure, Ty?"

Opening her mouth to answer straight away, Ty's thoughts were suddenly cut off with a loud laugh that exploded from the front of the pack as Bailey playfully pushed Cody's side and then rested her head affectionately on his shoulder as he draped an arm around her.

Biting her tongue, Ty ignored the simmering boil of her blood, "Yeah, I'm positive."

* * *

London walked slowly up the L.A. Tipton corridor, a combination of boredom and, still, complete and utter worry filling her mind to the brink.

It had been three nights since Cody and Bailey had disappeared, plus a further one since the S.S. Tipton had capsized and all those who loved him had lost Zack. Woody and Addison, along with most of the other students at Seven Seas High, had left with their families and gone home, and as much as London had been encouraged to do the same and return to her Boston home, she quite plainly refused to. She wasn't going to leave Carey and Kurt, and especially Mr. Moesby, in a time where all of them clearly needed as much support as they could get. Her support, in fact, had been so much so that she, herself, had hardly had any time to stop and think over her own grievances for Zack.

Never in a million years did London ever think that one of the annoying, twelve year old trouble makers who had crashed her hotel home four years ago would grow into one of the only young men she had ever met who truly understood her. It was no secret that both London and Zack weren't as cut out for school as what Cody and Bailey were, but even beneath every failing grade the two had ever earned between them, the older twin and the heiress has their own level of smart that only they could understand.

Facing the true facts, neither of them were stupid. Not really. It was just that – as they had told each other many times before – there wasn't really much point in excelling to actual achievement when you had an outshining brother you were constantly being compared to, or a busy, money-grabbing, workaholic father who was never around to notice you anyway.

But even though Zack's lack of motivation to achieve scholastically may have influenced London's own attitude on more than one occasion, she'd give every single last penny she owned to have him back.

Pushing these unhappy thoughts out of her mind, London's expression suddenly twisted into one of confusion as she saw Kurt coming towards her up the hallway, heatedly shaking his head and muttering to himself under his breath.

"Kurt?" London asked timidly, breaking the man's concentration, "Is Carey still in the lounge? I was just going to talk to her."

Kurt snorted, "Be my guest. She's spent the last three nights up there and all I've been trying to do is get her out, but she is absolutely impossible to talk to."

Awkwardly scratching the back of her neck, London stuttered over a reply to the fiery tone in Kurt's voice.

"I'll give it a try," the heiress spoke silently, "Maybe I can get through to her."

"Well, good luck," Kurt responded, continuing on his way up the corridor, "She's not the only one in pain, you know."

Sighing sadly to herself, London watched as Kurt disappeared around the corner. She couldn't imagine what it was possible like for both he and Carey to be experiencing something as tragic as losing both of their sons. The mere thought of it shook her body to the core.

Forcing the notion from her mind, London then resumed her journey to the hotel lounge and gently knocked on the door, opening it to see Carey sitting alone in the dark, in what the heiress could only imagine was the exact same position she had been in for the last three days.

Carey looked up at the sound of the door creaking open and forced the slightest of smiles at London as she made her way over to the lounge and took a sit next to the distraught mother.

For a slim moment, the two simply sat in a conceivable silence as they pondered over what there possibly was to say to one another. It was Carey who eventually broke the discomfited quiet.

"Do you think there was anything I could have done, London?"

The heiress' eyes narrowed in shock, "What? What do you mean?"

"Well, I know the boys didn't want me taking that job as a singer of the ship, but maybe if I had – "

"You'd be lying in a hospital bed right now?" London interjected.

Carey immediately fell back to silence. It simply amazed her how much of an intellectual grip London had on reality in times of heartbreak.

"You can't bargain with human lives, Carey. It's selfish," the young girl continued, "You can bargain with clothes and shoes and really cute purses and anything that sparkles and – "

"London?" Carey cut in, breaking the girl's ramble.

"Oh, right," London spoke, "But, what I'm saying is, what's done is done. You seriously can't sit here and wish that you could change things when all that's going to do is make you feel worse, not better."

As these wise words circled about Carey's mind, she slowly began to nod her head. London sighed again.

"Look, everyone downstairs is really starting to worry about you. Moesby feels like he hasn't spoken to you in, like, forever," London urged, "How about you come with me and we'll go to restaurant for lunch? On me."

Carey chuckled, wiping her eyes, "Thanks London, but I don't think that's going to make me feel much better, either."

"Well, it's better than sitting up here in the dark like everything's your fault," the heiress spoke plainly, "The police are coming back later this afternoon. They might have some news."

"And if not?"

London scrunched her brow in deep thought, "Nothing a little bit of retail therapy can't fix until next time. C'mon, Carey, I haven't bought anything in _sooo_ long, just come. Please?"

Carey laughed to herself again. As wise as London could force herself to be at times, it was still the same materialistic head that sat upon her shoulders.

"Ok," Carey finally conceited, "But only because I can picture Zack saying the same sort of thing to me," she concluded with a sadder tone of loss in her voice.

London smirked a supportive smile, putting an arm around Carey's shoulders, "You know what you need? A nice, big, fat Crème Brule. And then maybe a new sparkly scarf to take away from those panda bear rings you've got around the ugly, red splotches under your eyes…"

* * *

"So hungry…"

Nate rolled his eyes as he heard yet another complaining groan erupt from the back of the group where Hog was barely managing to keep up.

About two hours of traveling, chatting and plain mucking around had gone down between the group of kids since they had left their overnight loft, and as much as it amazed Cody to admit to himself, after revealing everything about he and Zack to his new friends, he actually felt a hell of a lot better. Not one hundred percent happier, obviously, but the confidence he had entrusted in Nate and Ty to get him across town to find Zack was more than enough to at least begin putting him back into a stable state of mind.

"Is there ever a time that you're not hungry, Hog?" Nate asked with an exasperated sigh.

"We've been walking for ages," the red-head replied in agitation, "Who knows how many miles we've covered. I need to eat something, man!"

"Ok, ok, chill out," Nate complied, turning around to face the rest of the pack, "Looks like I'm going on a hunt for some food."

"Sounds good to me," Bailey agreed, trying to ignore the loud rumbling in her stomach, "But let me come with you. I'm sick of eating all this greasy junk you've been supplying us."

"Uh, thanks Bailey, but – "

"Dude," Cody cut in, shaking his head, "Don't even bother arguing with her. Just let her go with you and buy some corn, or something, to keep her happy."

Her jaw gaping, Bailey laughed and playfully slapped her boyfriend's arm. Ty watched on, angrily gritting her teeth as she could purely feel the green colour of her eyes explode in glistening envy.

"Well, are you going to hurry up and go, or what?" she snapped, earning a suspicious glance from her cousin.

"Yeah, ok, we're going," Nate said calmly, "We past a market a little way back, we can go up there and scope out the food. Are you going to come, Cody?"

Just as Cody opened his mouth to reply, Ty quickly cut in, the cogs of her mind still turning feverishly, "Um, actually Cody, there's a couple of things I need to go over with you."

Bailey frowned as Cody simply raised a curious eyebrow, "Like what?"

"Just a couple of different, ya know, routes I've come up with to get us to Newberry. Stuff like that," she spoke in a convincing tone, causing the younger twin to smile.

"Ok, sure thing," he consented before turning to face his farm-girl, "If you're ok going off without me?"

Bailey rolled her eyes at Cody's protective nature, "Sweetie, I'll be with Nate, I'll be fine."

"Would you say that if it were me?" Brayden interrupted with a sly grin, inviting a smack on the back of the head from Nate.

"I know I wouldn't," the older boy teased, "C'mon then, Bailey."

"Yeah, Cody," Ty echoed, yanking the blonde boy by the arm before he had the opportunity to give his girlfriend a chaste kiss on the cheek, "We'll just wait here for you two to get back, ok?"

Nate noticed Bailey's frown increase from the corner of his eye as he then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Ok, Ty. We won't be long," he emphasised, staring his cousin directly in the eye. Before another word amongst the group could be exchanged, Nate and Bailey then turned on their heels and began walking up the road, leaving Cody, Ty and the other two boys behind them.

As they continued along, a nagging thought of concern began drilling harshly in the back of Bailey's mind. It had surprised her the previous night when Cody had returned to the loft with Ty in close pursuit. She hadn't even noticed that the dark haired girl had left the group to go and find him. But even since then, Ty seemed to have become a lot more interested in everything Cody did. His thoughts, his feelings, everything. There was a part of Bailey that told her that she was just being silly – Ty had offered to lead the two of them to Zack, it was only human nature that she take an interest in each event that took place until then. But on the other hand, there were a few numerous times where Bailey had noticed Ty shooting her an off-handed, menacing glare. That was the notion that told her maybe something, no matter how much Cody refused to realise it, wasn't exactly right with the Lucas girl.

"So, what's the deal with Ty?" Bailey blatantly spoke as she and Nate walked along the footpath.

The dark haired boy frowned, "What do you mean?"

Bailey shrugged, "I don't know. She just doesn't seem to like me very much. Or talk to anyone besides you or Cody."

"Don't take anything she does too much to heart," Nate explained casually, "She's had it tough, but she hardy ever means anything she does or says. She's not a bad person."

Bailey simply nodded her head without speaking another word. It was almost as if she could imagine Cody standing before her saying the exact same thing – seeing the best in those who seem to have obvious faults. It was certainly a quality she admired in anyone who happened to own it.

"Hey, how about a race?" Nate then spoke, snapping Bailey from her trance.

"Huh?" she asked in confusion, wiping her hair out of her eyes as the oncoming rain began to dampen it.

"That big hill over there," Nate said gesturing to the invitingly green slope, "If you can get all the way up it and back down by the time I make it to the market across the street, I'll let you do all the shopping from now on."

The farm-girl's blue eyes glistened in the falling rain as she gazed confidently at the hill before her. Although she was utterly certain that at some point or another she would slip and fall flat on her face, that was a risk she was more than willing to take to gain a little control over the group, as well as embarrass Nate by beating him into the ground.

"You're on," she agreed, "Starting now!"

Bailey laughed as she heard Nate's joking yells about her unfair head-start ricochet up the hill as she put the pedal down and sprinted as fast as she possibly could. The rain whipping in her face blew a delicate breeze across her features as she breathed in the fresh air and the smells around her. Bailey had always loved the smell of rain, especially now as it took away from the instant pain she felt gliding up her legs as she prolonged on swiftly carrying herself up the steep hill. It was a particularly enjoyable scent seeing as it was mixed so delightfully well with the desirable sea salt that filled the atmosphere. _Wait a minute_, Bailey thought to herself.

"Sea salt?" she spoke out loud as she made her eventual approach to the summit of the hill.

As she reached the top and squinted her eyes through the pouring rain that was only just beginning to fall at a faster pace, Bailey's jaw dropped in shock. From her higher altitude, she could faintly see the existence of sand and ocean on the horizon.

"The beach?" she spoke again, "But Newberry is inland. Why are we walking towards…"

The southern girl then slowly trailed off as her vision cast downward towards where she could see a large street sign that had written on it a few different locations, along with their distance and position from where she was standing. Right in the centre she clearly saw the words 'Newberry, 50mi east'.

Bailey's orbs then began darting all about the ground beneath her feet as her brow scrunched in confusion at the million different thoughts flying through her mind.

"We've been walking into the sun all afternoon," she said quietly, "so we've been walking west. And Newberry is in the east."

With this confirmation firmly in her mind, it was only another few seconds until Bailey's vision widened in amazement as she turned around and bolted back down the hill in the direction of where she had left Cody with the others. All her way down, the only thing that was left gyrating through her mind in total and complete rage was one name. Ty.

* * *

Cody, Ty, Brayden and Hog were all crammed in a small bus shelter, trying their best to keep covered from what was now heavily pouring rain.

For perhaps the first time in their adventure so far, Cody actually felt like a regular teenager again. The four of them were simply sitting together, talking and laughing and joking. It felt normal, and normal was definitely good. Normal, to Cody, was one step closer to getting his brother back.

"So, we aren't much further, are we, Ty?"

Ty blinked, gazing up at the younger twin, "Huh? Oh, yeah, not much further to go hopefully." She felt her sour heart swell in happiness at the smile that graced Cody's lips, and as the rain continued to fall, she subtly shuffled a little closer to him, shivering, "Man, it's cold."

"Oh, come on," Cody said light-heartedly, "It's not that bad."

"Yeah, Ty," Hog suddenly interrupted as he lifted up a sweaty arm, "But if you're a little cold – "

"I don't need a hug!" Ty instantly cut him off, disappointed that the wrong person had taken her hint. She sighed, faintly looking over to Cody and spoke silently to herself, "Not from Hog, anyway…"

"Ty!"

The four teens suddenly looked up in surprise at the booming voice they heard echoing up the street, as Ty frowned in uncertainty at the sound of her name.

"Who was that?" Brayden asked.

Cody instantly leapt up from the seat, "It sounded like Bailey."

As if on cue, Cody was immediately subjected to the saturated and clearly fuming image of Bailey as she made her gradual approach towards them from up the street.

"Bailey," Cody said, grabbing her arm, "Sweetie, what's – "

"We're going the wrong way!" she interjected loudly, "Ty's taking us in the wrong direction!"

"What?" Brayden and Hog both shouted in simultaneous shock.

Ty cursed under her breath as quietly as possible as Cody simply froze, rain droplets sliding down his confused and hurt face.

"What?" he eventually echoed, "But… how?"

"Forget 'how'," Brayden sniped, "How's about why, Ty? Why would you do that after everything you know he's been through?"

"I didn't!" Ty declared in innocence.

"Well then how do you explain the sign I saw saying that Newberry is in the exact opposite direction in which we're going," Bailey challenged.

"Is that true, Ty?" Cody asked in an eerily calm tone.

"No," Ty repeated. With some fast thinking, she soon licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak again, a sly smiling gliding across her lips, "Bailey, you are so jealous!"

Each of the farm-girl's features widened in disgust at what Ty was daring to accuse her of, "Jealous? Why on Earth would I be jealous, especially of you?"

Ty laughed, flicking her rain soaked hair out of her face, "I could see it in your eyes last night. When I came back to the loft with Cody after comforting him because you had been too lazy to do it yourself."

"Cody told me he wanted to be by himself!" Bailey countered, "I was doing what he asked me to do, what he asked all of us to do! You're the one who's jealous, you've never had anything in your life as amazing as Cody, and you never will!"

"Bailey! Ty!"

Both girls suddenly stopped from quite possibly lunging at each other and sinking their teeth in as Cody's loud voice bellowed between them. For a short moment, all that could be heard amongst the bucketing rain was the heavy, frustrated breathing of everyone around him as Cody could feel his skin tingling from the chilling rain that soaked his shirt.

He sighed, and then tentatively turned to Ty, "Is it true? You've been leading me _away _from Zack?"

"No," Ty answered at once, "No, Cody of course not. Remember what I told you last night," she went on, smiling softly at him, "I'm going to find Zack for you."

Bailey could feel her heart pounding in her chest like a thousand gun shots firing in her soul while Brayden and Hog both watched with penetrating eyes as Cody slowly turned around and looked at Bailey, hesitation flowing from his eyes.

"Bailey," he began. The farm-girl looked deep into her boyfriend's eyes, waiting in fearful anticipation of what he was going to say next.

In the following instant, Cody's face hardened, "Why would you make up something like that?"

A choking sob immediately exploded at the back of Bailey's throat, "What?" she whispered, an array of tears welling up in her sad blue eyes.

"All Ty is trying to do is help me find my brother… and you're trying to ruin that for me?"

The threat of Bailey's looming tears was finally met as they soon mixed with the rain that already graced her face to create a watery sorrow that epitomized the emotion that had its tight grip on her heart.

"Cody, please," she pleaded, "I'm telling the truth…"

"You never wanted me to leave right from the beginning!" the younger twin suddenly thundered, "You don't believe me, you never believed me, and this is your way of trying to get me to go home!"

Bailey cried in another sob as the anger in Cody's eyes grew to a further extent while he towered over her, "Nothing is going to make me give up on Zack, Bailey, not even you!"

While the expression of fury in her boyfriend's eyes sliced through her core like a sharp edged sword, Bailey felt her heart unstitch at the seams as a final whimpering cry quivered from her lips.

"You're so selfish. I thought I could trust you."

In the next moment, Ty watched with the subtlest of smiles on her lips as Bailey turned around and began running at full speed through the wind and rain.

The farm-girl didn't know where she was going, and frankly, she didn't care. She wasn't sure what anything was anymore. In a mere two minutes and a few hurtful words, all of Bailey's faith in the world that she lived in was shattered to a million pieces. She thought that she could trust Cody, and she was wrong. She trusted him with her heart, and now it all seemed absolutely worthless. As far as she was concerned, nothing made sense to her anymore.

* * *

Nate smiled politely at the shop assistant as he handed over the bag of groceries, "Thanks," he spoke in a similar fashion.

"No problem, kid," the man replied, "Going any place special with that much food?"

Nate shrugged, feeling the need to stay sketchy on his group's plans, "Not really. We're going to Newberry. Been walking down this way all day."

"Newberry?" the man asked. He frowned as Nate nodded his head, "Well, do you know that you're going the wrong way?"

Nate's eyes narrowed in confusion, "The wrong way? Are you sure?"

"Definitely. You've almost reached the coast going out this way, kid. Newberry's much more inland than this."

"But then how the hell…" Nate began before he trailed off with a laugh of disbelief and realisation, "Should've fucking known... Tyler."

Without another word, Nate then turned around and hurried out of the shop, racing up the road as quick as he could. He wasn't paying attention to the heavy rain downpouring on him or the fact that Bailey wasn't with him, in fact, it hadn't even crossed his mind. The only thing that he was thinking of was how stupid he had been believing Ty.

In a matter of short minutes, Nate had made it back to where he had left Cody and Ty with the other two boys. He even failed to notice that they were standing out in the rain with an overall emotion of shock and sadness.

"I cannot believe you!" he instantly roared at his cousin.

Each of the four heads before him snapped up, stunned by the furious growl that had escaped the older boy's lips. Cody distressingly felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach.

"What?" the younger twin asked Nate.

Ignoring him, Nate continued yelling at Ty, "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

"Nate, what?"

"I should've known you were lying to me, to all of us! You're so _selfish_!"

"Nate!" Cody screamed, gaining the attention of everyone around him as they fell to a shallow silence, "What are you talking about?"

In a final act of blind rage, Nate scoffed and took a slim hold of Ty's arm, yanking her towards him, "She's been taking you in the wrong direction!"

Cracking his head around and whip-lashing speed, Cody glared at Ty with pure disgust, as the similar emotion churned in his abdomen and threatened to wretch from his mouth. It was like in that one, insignificant moment, his whole world had crashed down all around him. Again.

"You… what?"

* * *

**Hello my fabulous readers :)**

**This would generally be the point in time where I would give some lousy excuse as to why it's taken me so long to update. But this time, I have no excuse. Just a sorry. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter... and don't hate Cody too much. You're more than welcome to hate Ty, though, I don't even like her that much. As I tried to make this chapter show, she's pretty damn evil. Reviews or general comments would be awesome, please and thank you :)**

**Oh, and I figure as a proper thanks I should give something to all of you...; In what will _probably_ be three chapters' time, you will all find out Zack's fate :O !**

**Till next time guys!**

**Reneyyyyyyyyy x.  
**


	15. Climax

'Breathing comes in pairs  
except for twice,  
one begins and one's goodbye.'  
_**Enough For Now - The Fray.**_

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen - Climax.  
**

**

* * *

**  
As Cody desperately tried to claw and piece back together the chunks of his broken spirit, he continued to glower at Ty with complete and utter disbelief. Brayden and Hog looked on worriedly through the pouring rain, concerned at the amount of rage they could see building in Nate's piercingly livid green orbs. Ty was frantically attempting to avoid eye contact with the younger twin, but wherever she turned, Cody was there, glaring at her and trying to read into the reason why she had suddenly fallen into such a sharp silence.

Cody chuckled to himself in insane scepticism and swallowed nervously, "But… that can't be true. I mean… you just finished telling me, Ty. You told me that's not true."

Ty paused, a vast sadness swiftly taking over her vision, "It's not."

"Bullshit, Ty!" Nate abruptly exploded. He swung his cousin around so she was staring him directly in the eye, "You may be able to lie to Cody and everyone else, but you can't lie to me."

"Tell him, Ty," Cody urged from the sidelines, "Tell him what you told me. It's not true!"

"Ty," Nate repeated through gritted teeth. The gothic girl's head flicked back and forth between the two boys, spraying droplets of rain from the tips of her hair onto their expressionless faces. For a split second, she caught a glimpse of the intense sorrow in Cody's dull, blue eyes and almost instantly, she sensed an overbearing wave of truth wash over her.

"…I just wanted you to like me, Cody."

The younger twin felt the entire universe around him come to a slowing stop as heavy realisation set in. He was well aware of everything going on around him - Nate viciously wrenching his grip away from his cousin in disgust, Brayden and Hog cursing Ty in an extreme level of disappointment, the thunderous rain still plummeting to the ground around him… but none of that was registering, not really. The only thing that had Cody's full attention were the many disheartening thoughts that feverishly circled his mind.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe he would've liked you a little more if you had done what he asked you to, not the exact opposite?" Nate interrogated harshly, "It's his twin brother for Christ's sake, Ty!"

Ty turned to her cousin, struggling to keep her distressed emotions under control, "Nate, this is nothing to do - "

"With me?" the older boy finished for her, laughing, "If anything, this is all me! I was the one who told Cody you'd be able to help him. I should've known you couldn't be trusted - not for a second!"

Cody, also toiling to not burst into reluctant tears, looked to Ty with an obvious mix of anger of dejection, "I thought you understood me, Ty. I thought you got that Zack was more than just a person to me. I mean, he's it - Zack's my whole life! You never had anybody, and I got that, I just thought that you understood what it would mean to me to get back the one person who I love more than anybody else in the whole world! How selfish and _messed up_ can one person get?"

With each word of Cody's verbal slaughtering of her like a stinging bullet through her heart, Ty choked back on an unwilling sob and wiped her eyes, "Cody, I'm - "

"Sorry?" the younger spat in disgust, "I don't exactly think that's going to cut it. I should never have trusted you - I should've listened to Nate straight away, I should've believed…"

In the next instant, Cody suddenly came to a rapid standstill as he froze in deep thought, until his eyes suddenly widened in immense fear and terror, "…Bailey. Bailey! Oh my God, Bailey!"

"Hey, hey," Nate soothed, "don't worry about her, I'm sure she's still at the market waiting for me."

"Uh, I don't think so, Nate…" Brayden added impractically.

"She ran off," Cody whispered hauntingly.

Nate frowned, "What are you talking about, bro?"

Cody's angry vision landed upon Ty once again as he hastily continued to explain, "I believed _her_ over Bailey. She tried to tell me… but I didn't listen."

The younger twin's breathing was heavy and hurried as he then unexpectedly turned on his heels and bolted off in the direction that Bailey had gone. Cursing under his breath, Nate quickly spun around and faced the rest of his group, "Wait here, guys, alright?"

Brayden and Hog immediately nodded their heads as Nate took a final second to glance at his cousin.

"_All_ of you," he warned Ty.

Without wasting another second, the older boy then followed suit and chased after Cody. It didn't take long until he caught up, and the younger twin was soon in sight and, assumedly, ear shot.

"Cody!" Nate yelled, "Cody! Wait up!"

The combination of physical and emotional pain on the younger twin's heart as he forced himself to plod along the rain soaked concrete was enough to finally make him stop and allow Nate to reach him. Once he did, the older boy grabbed Cody by the shoulders and aggressively swung him around.

"What are you thinking, bro?"

Cody wiped the tears from his eyes in embarrassment, "I need to find her," he croaked.

"Ok, well just calm down. We will find her, ok?" Nate urged, pretending he couldn't see that the younger twin was obviously crying.

As the rain continued to drench Cody in his pain, another sob exploded from the back of his throat, "She's never going to forgive me. I lost Zack, and now I've lost her, I know it!"

"Cody - "

"I may as well just give up, what else can I do?"

Nate suddenly felt a chord against his heart snap at Cody's words, "Hey! What is it going to take to get you out of your slump and stop feeling so God damned sorry for yourself?"

Cody paused, surprised at the outburst from his older friend, "Huh?"

"Look, I get it, Cody, ok? I get it. Zack is… well, he's like Superman to you, isn't he?" Nate probed sharply, "There's nothing you wouldn't do for him to make him happy. He's your hero, he's everything. Kinda' like what my dad was to me before he died."

Realising what Nate was beginning to put himself through, Cody licked his lips, "Nate, you don't have - "

"Just shut up and listen, Cody," Nate sniped, quickly losing all control of what he was saying, "Because I'm not going to stand here and listen to you talk shit about giving up when I've lived through my mother murdering my father and then being dumped on my crazy aunty and uncle but never, ever fucking bitching or complaining about it once!"

Without warning, Cody instantly fell to a stunned silence. His tears had stopped flowing and his thoughts had stopped revolving. The only thing that he was concentrating on was the predominantly calm words that were flying at him from Nate's lips at full force.

He always knew that the older boy had led a hard life, he had even confirmed that himself many times before. But not once did Cody ever imagine that Nate had lived through something as unreal and demoralizing as one of his parents killing the other. Where would something like that have possibly stemmed from? The thought of his and Zack's parents arguing in the way they did on occasion was enough to merely upset Cody, but Nate's story made him want to throw up in pain. If it were he who was put in that situation, it would doubtless send him right over the edge, as he was sure it would do so for Zack, as well.

As he was beginning to wonder just what his older friend was thinking and feeling towards his rambled words, Cody watched as Nate sighed, "I know it feels like you're dying inside, man, I do. But you can't give up. I never did. You need to pick yourself back up, forget about all that shit with Ty and find Bailey. Because she will forgive you, bro," the older boy paused as a small smile crept across his face, "Think of Zack."

The teeming droplets that clung to Cody's hair flung backwards as he immediately leapt forward and collected his older friend in a hug. For the first time in a long time, after Nate's encouraging words, Cody could feel some true hope swell in his soul. He also felt closer to Zack.

Nate simply smirked as he returned the hug to his shorter companion, "See, I've figured you out pretty quickly, bro. I know you a little more than you think."

"Thanks, Nate," Cody spoke mutely, "Sorry about losing it for a second there."

"Forget about it," the older boy insisted as he and the younger twin stepped apart, "You know how much love I got for you, man."

Cody smiled in response and, again, wiped his eyes. With the older boy's confession still fresh in his mind, the younger twin nervously bit his lip, "I had no idea you had gone through something like - "

"So, any ideas how we're going to find Bailey?" Nate swiftly cut in with a shrug of his shoulders.

Instantly taking the hint, Cody wisely decided to let the topic fall. For now, at least.

As the cogs in his mind gradually began to turn, Cody's vision wandered the desolate streets around them. The rain-filled, foggy atmosphere was making it slightly difficult for him to concentrate, but in the next moment, Cody's eyes fell upon the image of an abandoned van sitting at the curb that had one of its back doors broken off. Shades of Zack immediately appeared on his face as a mischievous smile exploded across Cody's features.

"Can you hotwire a car? And drive?" he asked roguishly.

Nate shrugged his shoulders again with a laugh, "Can I ever. C'mon bro, give me a challenge."

Raising a countering eyebrow, Cody nodded towards the metal heap on four wheels and then raced over to it, diving through the open back door.

Nate's jaw dropped as he comprehended the younger twin's proposal, though he soon shook his head. He had a funny feeling that told him Cody was going to be a-ok.

"Hey, kid learns quick," he said with a proud grin before following the blonde boy through the back door and hopping into the driver's seat.

* * *

While Hog and Brayden took sanctuary from the rain underneath a bus shelter, Ty sat out in the rain, her legs crossed in the gutter. There wasn't a single word that had been spoken between the three of them since Cody and Nate had left. The two boys were blatantly too chicken to even dare saying anything to the angry girl who sat silently on the side of the road.

Ty, on the other hand, had a million different thoughts flying through her mind. Regret or guilt? Maybe, but only so because she was figured out and her plan was ruined. Nothing else really mattered to her.

Becoming gradually sick of all the quiet, Brayden bravely cleared his throat and licked his lips, "So… was it worth it?"

"Bray!" Hog scolded him in a hush.

"What? I just want to know what the hell she was thinking," he argued, turning his attention to Ty, "What were you going to gain by sending him on the wrong track like that?"

Ty sourly shrugged her shoulders, "If he spent more time with me, he might've grown to like me."

Brayden scoffed and shook his head, "You're delusional."

"Anyone can see how crazy he is about Bailey," Hog added.

Ty cringed as she bit down hard on her lip piercing, feeling the pain surge from her mouth to her brain, "Thank you for reminding me," she sniped through gritted teeth.

All of a sudden, the screeching sound of tyres to cement was heard up the street as the three teens looked up to see an ominous gray van steam-rolling towards them. They all then frowned in confusion as the passenger seat window rolled down and Cody stuck his head out.

Brayden was the first to speak, "Ok, what the hell is going on?"

"We're going to find Bailey," Cody replied simply.

Hog scoffed, "So you stole a car?"

Ty tried to hide the hurt features of her face as Cody deliberately refused to look at her, even in the slightest. The twinging pain it created in her heart gradually allowed her to retrieve the guilt that she had previously been lacking.

"We won't take too long," Nate went on, "Cody knows that she wouldn't have gone anywhere unfamiliar to her, so we're going to retrace our steps and then come straight back. Will you guys wait here for us?"

Hog nodded his head, "Yeah, if that's what you want."

"We won't go anywhere," Brayden agreed, "Be careful, hey?"

"Aren't I always?" Nate joked. In a final moment, the older boy glanced out of Cody's window and looked at his cousin, "That includes you, too."

Ty snorted, "I don't have to listen to you."

"I'm not asking you, Ty, I'm telling you," Nate responded in a similar fashion before placing his foot back on the accelerator, "We won't be long."

"Cya' guys," Cody spoke with as much happiness as he could muster.

Brayden and Hog projected a supportive smile as they both nodded their heads at Cody and Nate, "Cya' later," they spoke in unison, and then watched the beaten up van slowly pull away from the curb. Hog pointlessly waved to the back of the vehicle as Cody wound up his window, although, the second that he had, Ty's true colours exploded from her in a frenzy once again as she subtly, and unbeknownst to Cody and Nate, leapt into the back of the open van and hid behind the single door.

The two boys stood on the side of the road, their jaws touching the ground in shock. Brayden sucked in an almighty breath and yelled as loud as he could in the hopes of catching either Cody or Nate's attention, but as the van swiftly made a sharp turn around the block, he and Hog were left standing, staring at each other, in realisation that whatever Ty's new plan was for Cody and Bailey, it was now powerlessly and unwillingly out of their hands.

* * *

Bailey couldn't stop shaking. The rain certainly wasn't helping, but the emotion behind each quaking shudder was a hell of a lot more than just pure coldness. She felt empty, alone, abandoned. The area around her was familiar, but she still didn't exactly have any idea where she was. She just needed to get away from Cody. It was what she wanted and, as heartbreaking as it was to even fathom, she had a feeling that it was what he wanted, too.

What was it that Cody had said to her when all this had began?_ 'You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right, Bails?'_

Bailey snorted in disgust, though it was immediately replaced by yet another choking sob. Cody had done more than just hurt her. He had broken her trust. In one swift argument, it also seemed that he had broken their relationship. But more importantly, and what caused a million times more pain - he had broken her heart.

Bailey had never felt more whole in her entire life than what she had when she was with Cody. It was like without him, there was no her. It was just that simple. Moose had never made her feel that way and neither had anyone else in her life. Of course, the only thing that came with her immense feeling of connectedness to Cody was the even heavier feeling of heartbreak now that he was gone.

While all these distressing thoughts and more continued to suffocate her mind as she sat alone in the ever-growing evening darkness on the side of the road, what she didn't know was that a mere block or two away from her, Cody and Nate were making their increasingly fast approach.

Cody was nervously tapping his fingers on the door panel as the moderate to heavy traffic continued to whiz by his window. He had absolutely no idea what he was possibly going to say to even gain Bailey's forgiveness in the slightest, but he was sure that it would all come to him once he found her. If he found her, he kept thinking to himself. No amount of words could even begin to explain how much he was worried about her. When it came right down to it, he really didn't mind if she never spoke to him ever again. He just wanted her to be ok.

With this thought keeping his mind on a frenzied high-alert, the younger twin then looked over to his older friend in the driver's seat. Honestly, it had bothered Cody when Nate had finally explained his own personal story of heartbreak, but had done so with a minute level of emotion and hardly any real explanation there afterwards. While the older boy's words had helped console Cody's own emotions, he still felt the need to know more.

Deciding to get straight to the point, he tensely cleared his throat, "Your mum really did that?"

Nate remained silent for a moment, and then cautiously licked his lips, "Yeah." He sighed, "She's schizophrenic, always has been. It got worse as I got older - take that how you will," he added with a joking smile, "She became so… impossible to be around. But Dad stayed with her anyway. He said she needed us. He really became both my dad and my mum in a way. He was always there for me, without fail, whenever I needed him."

Cody nodded his head thoughtfully. It sort of surprised him how quickly it had taken Nate to open up, but he didn't question it.

"He still had his needs, though, I suppose," Nate went on, "He cheated on her. She found out. Flew off the handle. Shot him with his own gun."

Cody cringed as he waited for Nate to continue. After a whole minute of a further silence, the younger twin frowned, "That's it?"

Nate shrugged, "Nothing more to say. She got put in an institution, I got dumped on my uncle and aunty - not Ty's parents, one of our other cousins. My dad was really the only sane one in our family. 'Spose that's where I get it from."

"How old were you? When all this happened?"

"Fourteen, almost fifteen."

Cody gasped, "And you managed to live through it all?"

Nate nodded his head with a proud smile, "I never gave up. Like you shouldn't either. Tomorrow's the only day we should ever know, bro. We shouldn't let the past control how we lead the rest of our lives. I know I got a bright future ahead of me, somewhere down the line. You just gotta' believe the same thing, ya' know?"

Cody paused in appreciation of Nate's final words as the two then reverted back to a peaceful stillness. For a short moment or two, Cody could feel himself beaming on the inside. The thought of how his new tomorrow would be once he had Bailey and Zack back by his side was a temptation of total and utter bliss.

"Dude!" Nate suddenly burst in excitement, "Got her."

Cody's eyes widened as he was immediately awoken from his daydream, "What? Where?"

The younger twin followed Nate's gesture out the front windscreen as his vision instantly fell upon the image of Bailey sitting alone in the street. He tried to breath a sigh of relief that she was both ok and hadn't been bothered by any of the other few cars that were trailing across the roads, but his airway was clogged with a rush of emotion as he abruptly leapt out of his door before the van had even come to a complete stop.

"Cody," Nate called to him, "I'll go park this around the corner at the end of the block, ok? I'll wait for you."

"Alright," Cody agreed.

"And, bro?"

"Yeah?"

Nate grinned, "Good luck."

Returning the similar motion, Cody then spun around, "Thanks," he called back, and then took off as fast as his legs could possibly carry him as he made his way towards Bailey.

Right away, he felt like crying again as she was juts metres away from him, "Bailey!"

The farm-girl's neck snapped up at whip-lashing speed as her eyes widened at the image of Cody standing there before her. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but no words formed or flowed from her lips. As he prolonged his stance over her, saturated from the pouring rain, and reached his hand forward to help her up, Bailey desperately tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and the dull pitter-patter of her heart, "How did you find me?"

"Are you kidding?" Cody asked, exhausted, "I would've gone to the ends of the Earth to find you. Are you ok?"

Disregarding the sincere worry that drowned Cody's orbs, Bailey silently nodded her head.

In a wave of sudden relief, Cody sighed to himself, "Bailey, I don't know what to say…"

Bailey scoffed. The least she could have asked for was for Cody to have some notion of what he was apologising for or how he was going to do it, "And that's how you plan to win me back?" she spat, "Do you have any possible idea what you've done to me, how you've made me feel?"

"I know, Bailey, I know," Cody urged, "and look, before anything else, you have to believe this - I never had any interest in her, Bailey. It wasn't her, it wasn't Ty, ok? It was - "

"I know," Bailey interjected with a shrug, "It was the thought of getting Zack back."

Cody nodded sadly. He flinched as Bailey viciously tugged away from him as he went to take her hands, "Bailey, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I should've believed you, I should've listened to you without any question! I mean, you're the only one who's been here for me since the beginning, and I never should've said or done any of what I did or ever make you feel that horrible. I didn't mean any of it, Bailey, I'm just… I'm sorry."

Bailey remained quiet, her hard, glowering glance still piercing straight through Cody's soul. He choked on a lump in his throat as the realisation of her heavy stare began to take its toll on him, "I don't care if you hate me or don't want to talk to me ever again, I just needed you to know that. I'm sorry. I'd sacrifice everything I have before I ever lose you."

Cody waited, his imploring, blue eyes gazing into the depths of Bailey's, praying to someone or something higher than him that she would forgive him. He had experienced what his life would be like without both Bailey and Zack, and even though he said and insisted on saying that he would understandably let Bailey go if she no longer wanted anything to do with him, there was nothing that didn't tell him that living his life like that would eventually, and effectively, absolutely destroy him.

In a final notion of seemingly irreversible damage, Bailey coldly shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, "Well, get ready to make your sacrifices. You broke my heart, Cody. How can I ever trust you with my happiness again?"

Sensing his core slowly unstitching, Cody stood frozen, his own heart breaking at the harshness of Bailey's words. He forced himself not to begin crying again, though he couldn't help but admit to himself that this was nothing short of what he deserved. He had sworn to himself that he would never even think of doing anything that would hurt Bailey in the slightest. And now he had more or less left her in a state of complete, inconsolable forlorn. The only other time he had been more furious with himself was when he had failed to save Zack from falling from the ship into the vile swash of the ocean. He wasn't going to let someone else he loved with all his heart slip through his fingers again.

Suddenly, Cody froze. He came to complete halt in deep hesitation for a moment, his last thought slowly making a second lap through his mind. The pain he had felt swell in his chest at Bailey's cold stare gradually began to fade away as his heart unexpectedly sprung back to life. It started beating faster and faster, causing his head to spin in confusion until it came to a sharp stop and the blurred cloud of uncertainty diminished from his psyche. Was this what it was like to have an epiphany? It felt like he had finally woken up after an eternity of sleep. It was all clear to him now.

Cody was in love with Bailey.

Noticing the slick smile that had grown across Cody's face amongst his lack of further communication, Bailey sadly rolled her eyes before wiping more tears away. She turned around and took a few reluctant steps away from him, "Well, if you don't have anything else to say – "

Abruptly butting in, Cody cleared his throat and laughed. In the next moment, he fell back to a short silence, before his face twisted to what was possibly the most genuine expression of affection that he had ever succumb to, "I love you."

Bailey's breath immediately hitched in her throat. She felt for a moment like she couldn't breathe at all. The only thing she was narrowly managing to do was lock her eye contact back with Cody's as she tried to search his expression for any sense of false declaration. She stifled a nervous sigh as all she could successfully find was gut-wrenching truth, "…Wha-what?"

Cody smiled again, "I love you, Bailey. Shit, I'm in love with you!" he paused, speaking syllable by syllable, "I. Love. You."

Choking another sob, Bailey tried to conceal her overwhelming bliss, "I… I thought you'd never say that to me."

"I needed to make sure that I was certain about it," Cody began to explain, "I mean, I've said it before to other girls – Barbara, or whatever. But I didn't mean it. Not like I mean it now."

Still resisting the incredible feelings of yearning and mercy seeping through her skin, Bailey watched as the happiness in Cody's eyes resorted back to an imploring, pleading stare, "Bailey please," he begged, "I'll never be able to express how sorry I am. I can't live without, I _need_ you – I need you as much as I need Zack! You have to forgive me. I love you."

Cody then waited, a breath held in right down to his stomach, as he explored the features of Bailey's softening face. The farm-girl was amazed with herself and how well she had managed to keep in her heavenly feelings of pure ecstasy. No-one had ever proclaimed their love and devotion for her in the way Cody just had. Her heart felt as if it was soaring high above the entire universe on cloud nine. _Yeah, cloud nine hundred and ninety-nine._

"I love you, too," she choked out with an ocean's worth of exultant tears.

As the widest possible smile stretched miles across the younger twin's face, he and Bailey then collected each other in an explosion of sparks as they embraced each other for dear life.

Bailey sensed shivers race up the column of her spine as the warmth of Cody's lips against hers eliminated any sensation of the blistering cold rain plummeting around them. The passion that detonated between them was such that Bailey had never experienced before. The way that she felt their kiss caress the inside of her mouth, the way Cody stroked the small of her back as she sensed he was striving with all of his might to not take their encounter any more physically further than what it already was. And as Cody whimpered in delight at the way Bailey clutched painfully tight to his chest and held her whole body steamily close against his, neither of them had ever felt more needed or more loved in their entire lives.

Finally, the desire to lift their heads up for oxygen took over as the two parted, breathing heavily as they kept a close hold of one another, the rain around them still not enough to eradicate their sensation of warmth and passion.

All Cody wanted to do was stand there, perhaps forever, and simply hold onto Bailey like she was all he had and all he ever needed, but it wasn't long until he suddenly remembered how it was that he had found his girlfriend in the first place.

"Damn," he cursed silently, "Bailey we gotta' get back to Nate. He's waiting for us at the end of the block."

Bailey frowned, looking up at the younger twin, "How'd you two get here?"

Biting his lip, Cody shook his head and took Bailey's hand in his. He brought it up to his mouth and gently kissed it before the two began walking, "That's another story."

In a matter of moments, the two had made it to the end of the block and could see the stowaways' beaten up van. They could also make out Nate through the teeming rain, however, they both paused in slight confusion as they noticed he was talking to someone. As they then rounded the corner, they soon discovered that it wasn't just 'someone'. And Nate wasn't talking – he was yelling.

"Ty?" Cody spat in instant anger, "What are you doing here?"

Bailey, too, felt her blood boil as Nate looked over the couple, "She hid in the back of the van as we took off," he answered, "She was just about to attempt to give me an explanation."

Ty rolled her eyes at her cousin's sarcasm and turned to Cody, "I just needed to talk to you," she began, "Explain, ya' know? It's totally not what you think, Cody – "

"I don't want any justification," Cody sniped in aggravation, "There's no excuse for what you did. You lied to me, tried to ruin my relationship and led me away from my brother!"

Her fury increasingly with each word that he spoke, Ty gritted her teeth, "She's not even worth it, Cody! If you took the time to listen to – "

"There's nothing you can possibly say!" Cody snapped again, "I love Bailey! Do you get that? I'm in love with her."

Ty snorted, "Are you sure about that?"

"Ah, yeah. She and I just went through all that, actually," he replied cynically.

"But she doesn't deserve you, Cody," Ty argued, "You're too perfect for her."

Cody sensed a chord inside him tweak and snap, "I let my brother fall off a ship into the ocean, I'm not that perfect!"

Bailey's eyes widened as she touched her boyfriend's arm to console him, "Cody – "

"You're perfect to me!" Ty interjected, allowing Bailey's voice to be drowned out by the traffic speeding by them, "Cody, you'll always be perfect to me. I was always going to take you to Newberry eventually, I just wanted to spend more time with you. I know I was selfish, but I just thought that maybe I was falling in love – "

"Don't even start!" Nate abruptly blasted, "What exactly do you know about love, Ty?"

An emotion of further rage began to bubble in Ty's stomach, "Keep outta' this, Nate."

"You obviously can't know that much if you were willing to destroy the most pure love either of us have seen between these two – and don't even try to deny that," the older boy continued to probe.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Ty screeched, rapidly turning her wrath towards her cousin.

Nate merely scoffed, "I've been on your side for _sixteen years_!" he emphasised over the chaotic sound of the traffic and the rain, "I've made millions of excuses for you and tried to make you a happier person, but all you ever do is throw it back in my face! And now, just when I've started to feel like I've actually done something good for someone else for once, you've twisted the whole situation to suit yourself and what you want – you're unbelievable!"

Cody and Bailey remained holding onto each other tightly as Nate's fiery words were taking an obvious toll on Ty's state of mind. The sadness in her eyes was deeper than either of them had ever seen before.

Nate laughed to himself, prolonging the verbal attack on his cousin, "I've always cared about you, Ty, and you know I have. All I ever tried to do was look after you, but if you can't let go of the fact that – just like the rest of us – nobody really loved you, then I'm sorry, Tyler, but that's not my problem!"

In a phenomenal outburst of insane, pent up rage and fury, Cody and Bailey then watched, horrified, as Ty profanely screamed at the top of her lungs and shoved Nate with all of her strength into the middle of the street.

In a flash of blinding lightning, the entire universe came to slowing pace as Cody, Bailey and Ty were all regretfully submitted to watch in helplessness as Nate spun around and cried out in a final outbreak of terror before his seventeen year old body came into full contact with a speeding, dual-cab ute, shattering his limbs, muscles and what Cody feared to even think of to pieces.

A monstrous, foretelling clap of thunder told Cody all he needed to know as he finally snapped back into reality and dashed over to where Nate was lying motionless on the concrete ground.

"No, no, no, no," he kept repeating to himself quietly as he hastily flipped his friend around and gazed into his face. His heart skipped a beat and the bile that sat sourly in his stomach instantly felt the need to arise.

Bailey yelled and uncharacteristically cursed at Ty as the immoral girl took a final glance at the mess she had made and the heartbreak she had caused before she then cowardly turned on her heels and ran away as fast as she could. Cody failed to even notice as he began to cry and sob with no amount of reluctance while he held his vision to the dead, empty blankness that gazed over Nate's eyes.

"He's dead," he whispered before raising his voice, "She fucking killed him!"

As other cars curiously began to pull up at the scene and the shaky, terrified driver who had hit Nate took out his cell phone to bravely call the police, Bailey collapsed beside Cody in a traumatized heap and forcefully tried to match her boyfriend's strength as he desperately shook Nate's shoulders.

"Cody!" Bailey pleaded, "Cody, stop! He's gone, he's gone!"

While a wave of mournful tears instantly began to overtake the farm-girl, too, Bailey froze, realising what she had said, "…he's gone," she repeated in a dull murmur.

The sudden sound of police sirens shrieking noisily in the background broke Bailey from her trance as she nudged Cody's shoulder. She looked away from the warm blood that had leaked from Nate's skull onto her boyfriend's hands as she muttered encouragingly in his ear, "Cody, that's the cops, we have to go."

Cody kept his eyes on Nate as he defiantly shook his head, "I'm not leaving him," he countered, his heart breaking all over again with each word he spoke.

Bailey groaned in pain, her tears – much like Cody's - mixing bitterly with the cooling rain, "We need to get out of here or they're going to find us and then we'll never make it to the hospital."

Slightly gaining his attention at the mention of the hospital, Cody attempted to stay true to his word, waiting for a miracle to happen. Any minute now, he told himself, Nate was going to jump up and laugh at the both of them, joking about how gullible they were – just as Zack might have. But as Cody finally started to appreciate just how much Nate had meant to their journey and to him, all his hopes of such a miracle bleakly and harshly faded away.

A fresh set of somber tears flowed from his dim, blue eyes as Nate's limpness set an excruciating weight on his heart, "…but… I can't…" he repeated in choking pain, "I can't leave him…"

"Cody," Bailey urged strictly, the sirens growing ever so closer, "You have to – _we_ have to. Nate would want you to, you know he would. Zack needs us."

In a final flash of what was an obvious decision, Cody sucked in a devastatingly agonizing breath and grabbed a hold of Bailey's hand. The past five minutes had flown by like a demoralizing nightmare. It felt unreal, inconceivable. But as Cody and Bailey both stood up, still in tears, the younger twin took one last glance at Nate. In the blink of an eye, the older boy's bright future had diminished into what was now absolutely nothing.

Cody shivered and gradually brought his voicebox up to an inaudible whisper, "Thanks, bro."

As he and Bailey then stiffly sprinted away, those left standing over him gazed down despondently at the still, calm and lifeless body of Nathan Lucas.

* * *

**...Well, while you guys prepare your pitch forks and torches, I'm gonna go hide under my bed.**

**Reviews and thoughts are much appreciated for this chapter guys. Normally I'd apologise for making my chapters so short, but this time I'll say sorry for making it quite long. Hope you all enjoyed it, well, until the end anyway, lol. I'll try to update just as quickly. Two more chapters until we found out about Zaaaacck :) Thanks guys!**

**Reneyyyyyyyy x.  
**


	16. Finding Control

'We're standing on a tiny ledge  
Before this goes over the edge  
Gonna use my heart and not my head  
And try to open up your eyes  
This is reletionship suicide  
'Coz if you go, I go  
'Coz if you go, I go..'  
**_Talk You Down - The Script._**

**_

* * *

_Chapter Sixteen - Finding Control.**

**

* * *

**

Kurt nervously scratched the back of his neck as he stepped out of the hotel elevator and gazed around the lobby. It had been about an hour since he and Carey had become caught up in yet another heated argument, and a shaken feeling of immense guilt had instantly taken over the twins' father the second that he had finished speaking with London.

There wasn't a doubt in Kurt's mind that Carey did in fact understand how much pain he was in, too - he had merely lost his temper with her. Again. It had quickly become clear to Kurt that he was acting pretty impossible, as well, and he knew that while both of them were just as much at fault as each other, Carey still deserved an apology. The only problem was, upon his arrival back at the hotel lounge to do just that, Carey had been nowhere to be found.

Just as Kurt was beginning to worry that Carey may have disappeared because she was hurt by their argument, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise as he looked across the lobby to see his ex-wife standing on the other side of the room. Much to his amazement, she wasn't alone, either. She was standing alongside London, talking to her - and laughing.

As he began to make his way towards her, Kurt blinked a couple of times just to make sure that he wasn't seeing things, "Carey?"

Looking up at the sound of her name, Carey tilted her head in confusion at the apprehensive expression on her ex-husband's face before she said her quiet goodbyes to London and walked over to meet Kurt in the centre of the lobby.

"Are you ok?" Kurt immediately asked, causing Carey's curiosity to heighten.

"Yes, I'm doing ok now. Why do you ask?"

Kurt was silent for a second or two before laughing sheepishly, "I went up to the lounge looking for you and when I couldn't find you I thought you may have been upset about something."

Carey frowned, "Upset? No, I'm fine - you know, considering. London treated me to lunch and then we had a mani-pedi. It actually managed to take my mind off everything. For a while, anyway."

Kurt simply nodded his head. After hearing how much effort Carey had put into trying to make herself a little happier under the bleak circumstances, he only felt a million times worse for having the nerve to say that the grieving mother was acting impossible and selfish.

"So, is there anymore news? From the police, or anything?"

Snapping out of his trance, Kurt gazed at the renewed sadness in Carey's eyes and regretfully shook his head, "No. No, nothing else yet."

Nodding her head, Carey stifled a gentle sigh. The despairing tone in his ex-wife's voice caused a further wave of remorse to wash over Kurt as he, too, sighed sadly and gently grabbed onto Carey's arm.

"Look, Carey, I'm sorry about getting into another fight with you," he spoke sincerely, "I didn't realise just how much of a toll all this was going to take on you. It was really stupid, and I just hope I haven't upset you too much."

Kurt watched and waited as, for a moment or two, Carey fell to silence, contemplating everything that the twins' father had just said to her, until a small smile broke out across her lips, "Since when did you start caring?" she asked jokingly, causing Kurt to grin back at her.

"You're the mother of my children, Carey," he recommenced, just as genuinely, "You're just as important to me as our boys are."

The smile on Carey's face blew up to further extent as she tried to hide the blushing, pink colour of her cheeks and tenderly pulled Kurt into an appreciative hug. An electric shiver immediately zapped up her spine as Kurt's close presence instantly reminded her of the way her twins would hug her. Whenever they were happy, excited, or even frightened. She could never mistake the sentiment of the strong grasp that her boys would hold her in. A protective embrace like theirs was instantly recognizable.

After a few brief and contented moments of relaxing bliss, the separated couple soon broke apart, still smiling at each other with every ounce of bravery they could muster, until they were interrupted by the sound of Mr. Moesby clearing his throat.

Awkwardly taking her hand away from Kurt's waist, Carey turned to the Boston Tipton manager and grinned politely, "Sorry, Mr. Moesby," she offered lamely.

"Is there a problem?" Kurt then asked.

"Well," Moesby began, uneasily fiddling with the loop of his tie, "maybe not so much for me as there may be for you."

The edgy tone in the manager's voice instantly caused a lump of extreme worry to build up sickly in the back of Carey's throat, "What? What is it, is everything ok?"

"Yes, yes, all is fine," Moesby reassured her, holding up his hands in defence, "It's just that…"

Carey and Kurt waited anxiously as Moesby paused, scratching his head in an obvious attempt to find the correct and most appropriate words he need to complete his sentence.

Once again clearing his throat, Moesby sighed, "Bailey's mother is on her way here. And… well, she isn't exactly _happy_ with the boyfriend of her precious daughter whose lead her so far astray…"

* * *

Bailey's breathing began to speed up in the very slightest. She nervously looked to her left where Cody was maneuvering the van from the driver's seat in what was slowly developing into quite an erratic behaviour. The second that the two had fled from the scene of the fatal accident, Cody had re-hotwired the beaten up, old van in the way that Nate had showed him, and then they were soon on their way.

The car ride so far had been completely silent, both Cody and Bailey left with nothing but their own deep, saddening thoughts to haunt their minds amongst the quiet. They were on their way back towards the market in the hopes of finding Brayden and Hog. The rain had quickly begun to subside, but the pace that Cody was driving at was really starting to gnaw apprehensively at Bailey. Not only did Cody not have a license and had never really driven properly before, but this van certainly went a bit faster than the one mile per hour that he was used to in the red, twelve volt car that their dad had brought onto the ship for he and Zack.

Sighing softly to herself, Bailey licked her lips, "Cody, slow down."

The farm-girl waited as Cody stubbornly ignored her and continued to roar along the bumpy road in the dodgy van. Swallowing back the upsetting feelings bubbling in her stomach, Bailey opened her mouth to break the silence again.

"Cody, please, you're scaring me."

Immediately, Bailey breathed a sigh of relief as she sensed the van begin to slowly decelerate. She glanced over at Cody to see that he, too, was now looking straight back at her, remorse teeming on the brink of his vision. The thought of putting his girlfriend in a position of such panic was like a knife through his heart.

"Sorry," he managed to speak softly.

Beneath her initial worry, a hint of the smallest possible smile beamed across Bailey's face at the long-awaited sound of Cody's voice, "It's ok," she reassured him, frowning, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Cody showed no physical response but simply turned back to face the road before him, "Everything's fine. I promise."

Still feeling slightly unsure, Bailey quietly nodded her head. It bothered her that Cody hadn't said anything concerning how he felt about what had happened to Nate. It felt to the farm-girl like she was witnessing her boyfriend losing Zack all over again. God only knew how long it would take before Cody would be able to open up again and escape his feelings of extreme depression – especially since there were absolutely no denying that Nate, unlike Zack, was definitely gone.

"Can you see them?"

Snapping out of her trance, Bailey glanced back to Cody at the sound of his voice, frowning again, "Who, sweetie?"

"Bray and Hog," Cody answered, "This is where we left them. Can you see them anywhere?" he repeated, gawking frantically out the window.

Facing back to her own window, Bailey allowed her eyes to scan the desolate area beyond the glass, but soon sadly let another sigh escape her lips and tentatively turned back to Cody, "Sweetie, what if Ty got to them first?"

Cody instantly felt sick at the mention of Ty's name. He sensed an immense fury boil in his stomach and tasted a foul bile in the back of his throat. The image of Nate lying motionless and cold on the damp ground sharply sprung back to his mind as Cody helplessly tried to hold back his despondent tears. He could hardly imagine what it would be like for Brayden and Hog to discover that the one person who was their guardian and friend for such a long time had met an extremely untimely demise at the hands of his own cousin, but the thought of this caused nowhere near as much pain as what the younger twin felt for his own grievances and loss for the only other person in the whole world who ever deserved the title of being his brother.

In an incisive moment of throbbing defeat, Cody swerved the van parallel to the gutter and slammed on the brakes, collapsing his head into the steering column with a great rush of warm tears, his arms crossed over the wheel in support of his head as his cries dampened the sleeve of his jacket.

Bailey gasped as she watched the heartbreaking scene unfold before her, not knowing what to say or think, "Cody…"

"I should've stopped her!" Cody yelled, the peak of his emotions finally pouring through, "All I did was just stand there and watch! I _watched _as Nate died right before my eyes!"

The farm-girl flinched as Cody viciously snapped his head up, his red-rimmed eyes piercing right through her, "I was right there, and I couldn't do anything! It was exactly the same as…" the younger twin sobbed as his voice began to soften, "the same as… Zack. Zack and then Nate. All of it is my fault…"

Whimpering silently to herself, Bailey heaved another breath of colossal shock and resisted reaching over and slapping more sense into her boyfriend, "Cody, no!"

Bleakly wiping away the tears that were now streaming down her face, too, Bailey unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed over the middle of the van, straddling her legs over either of Cody's as she tilted his head up to stare directly into his eyes. She delicately traced her thumb under each of his tear soaked eyes and gently pushed his hair out of his face. As her eyes prolonged the connection with his, Bailey stifled another sob at the miserable emotion that drowned Cody's dull, blue orbs. She fought back against the romantic urges she felt being in such an intimacy with her boyfriend and calmly stroked his cheek.

"Cody, none of what has happened to us is your fault," she beseeched softly, "There was nothing you possibly could have done to have stopped any of this."

Showing no visible signs of reaction to Bailey's closeness, Cody shook his head, "But – "

"No, there's no buts!" Bailey urged lightly, "Cody, please. I know how much you're hurting, but it hurts me more and more every day to have to sit back and watch you like this when you don't seem to be getting any better!"

Cody fell to a sharp silence at Bailey's upset outburst. He gently placed a hand on her knee, "I'm sorry, I didn't know… but I can't just turn off my emotions."

"I know you can't," she assured him, "But you have to try and at least put it to the back of your mind, for now, anyway. I'm devastated about Nate, too, but there will be time to grieve and get through all of that – _after_ we get Zack back, ok?"

Sniffling to himself, Cody tried to dart his eyes away from Bailey before she cupped his face with both hands and persisted on making eye contact with him. The younger twin gazed into Bailey's orbs and felt his heart beat speed up ever so slightly. He hated that he was making her so upset when he wasn't even aware of it. He wanted to protect Bailey, not hurt her. But what he hated just as much was that he was obliviously allowing his emotions to control every single little thing that he did and said. He didn't want to be dominated like that, not when he still had so much to lose if he was proven unable to keep his feelings restrained.

Willingly allowing his vision to lock with his girlfriend's, Cody was silently thankful that he had Bailey with him for love and support, as well as the fact that he had the expectation of Zack waiting for him at the end of their journey. The younger twin then slowly nodded his head, "Ok."

Sighing in exultant relief, Bailey choked on a withheld breath, realising just how frustrated she had become with Cody's ever contrasting emotive behaviour, "You can't keep doing this to me, Cody! You can't ever lose it on me, ok? You can't. Because if you do and I can't make you feel better, then I don't if I'd ever be able to – "

"Ok, ok," Cody implored soothingly, "I won't, not ever. I promise. I'm so sorry, Bailey."

The younger twin intertwined his fingers with Bailey's and then pressed his forehead to hers, the two exchanging a soft smile.

"I love you," Cody whispered. He had absolutely no idea how sweet it would feel to speak those three simple words, just as Bailey had no idea how sweet it would feel to hear them as she hungrily brought her lips to Cody's in a chaste kiss, sending electric shivers up both their spines.

As they eventually parted, Bailey continued to gaze at Cody as she yearningly bit her bottom lip, "I love you, too."

Wrapping his arms around her torso, Cody and Bailey then fell into the tender, contented moment that they had managed to create between them even amongst all the chaos that was incessantly spiraling out of control around them. Just as Cody was beginning to believe for the first time that he and Bailey were going to be ok and find Zack, even without Nate loyally by his side, the younger twin and his Southern Belle suddenly jumped in surprise at the sound of driver's seat window shattering as a small rock landed at their feet.

The second that the glass began to crumble, Cody shielded Bailey's face and turned away himself, before he looked back and his eyes widened in shock at the image of Damon and Jase walking towards the van. Cody listened intently as Bailey's breath hitched in the back of her throat while he gawked worriedly at the two boys making their approach. The younger twin was thankful that Damon's whole group wasn't in tow, but even though there was only he and Brayden's brother, the fact still stood that Cody was all on his own.

Swallowing nervously, Cody wriggled out of Bailey's grip and reached over to the door handle, "Wait here, beautiful."

Bailey scoffed as she climbed out of Cody's lap, "No way."

As the two then jumped out of the van, Cody attempted to stand tall before the pair of thugs, but their height in comparison to his only increased as they advanced closer and closer. More than anything else, he tried to ignore the severe thumping of his heart in his chest.

"Well, isn't that a nice picture?" Damon taunted, his hands dug into the depths of his pockets, "I hope we weren't interrupting anything."

Shaking off the insult, Cody took a deep breath, "You're lucky you didn't hurt my girlfriend with that rock you threw."

"Lucky?" Jase repeated with a laugh.

"What exactly could you do, little man?" Damon went on, "From what I can see, these streets are all empty. That and you're by yourself this time. No bodyguards to protect 'ya."

Bailey took a step forward and latched onto Cody's arm, "What do you guys want? You hardly even know Cody, what problems could you possibly have with him?"

"Don't think I didn't see those parts of my car fall out of his jacket the other day," he answered instantly, "You obviously had just as much to do with it as the rest of them."

"I was helping a friend," Cody spoke through gritted teeth, pushing all thoughts of Nate from his mind as well as he could.

"Get real," Jase grunted, "My brother and the fat kid have no real friends. That dickhead Nate was just an insurance policy or something for you, wasn't he?"

Immediate concern bolted to Bailey's vision as she whipped her head up to look at Cody. The younger twin was clearly endeavoring to conceal all aspects of his emotions as he simply remained silent and expressionless.

Damon frowned almost straight away, "Where is Nate anyway? Not like him to leave one of his little buddies walking around by themselves."

"Yeah," Jase interjected, "And what about the others, Brayden and them?"

Cody raised a mocking eyebrow, "What, concerned are you?"

"Ooh, smart prick," Jase exclaimed, he and Damon both laughing at Cody's bravery. Bailey, on the other hand, could feel her body quaking in fear of both her boyfriend's sharp tongue and the prospect of what Damon and Jase were more than capable of doing to both of them.

"Well, seeing as your insurance policy isn't here help you," Damon began, walking dangerously closer to the younger twin, "I suppose I need to get mine – meaning the money for my trashed car!"

Bailey cringed and cupped her mouth in fright as Damon grabbed Cody by the arm and tried to dig into the pockets of his jacket, "So, whatcha got, a wallet? Any money at all?"

Stiffening in panic, Cody shrugged fiercely out of Damon's grip, "I'm broke, man! I've got nothing!"

Grinning slyly at Cody's obvious fear, Jase echoed Damon's cruel laughter before joining in, seizing a tight grip around Bailey's wrist, "Well, what about your little bitch, then?"

Bailey squealed softly in a sharp twinge of pain from the firm grasp locked around her as Cody's eyes exploded to the size of saucers in utter rage and anguish. Thriving off nothing but pure adrenalin, Cody abruptly jerked away from Damon and charged at Jase, shoving the larger, older boy with all of his might. Jase stumbled, just managing to stay on his feet, as he looked back to the younger twin and the fury that filled his eyes.

"Don't you _dare_ touch my Bailey!" Cody yelled, only seconds before he spluttered from a strangling cough as Damon heaved him into the side of the gray van and held tightly onto the collar of his shirt, making it incredibly difficult for the younger twin to breathe.

"Cody!" Bailey screamed in tremendous horror.

Breathing heavily, Cody gawked nervously into the eyes of the furious thug that was still twisting brutally at the collar of his shirt.

"Little Cody isn't as big as he thinks he is," Damon sneered, "Looks like something of Nate's rubbed off onto you after all. You're just as much of a thick smart arse as he is."

As his heart dropped to his stomach for what was possibly the millionth time in what felt like an eternity, Cody's eyes narrowed in severe resentment as he violently began to squirm under Damon's clutches and whipped his head around so he was facing him. He sensed a heaving lump in the back of his throat as he held back all possible temptations of spitting right in the older boy's face, "Nate's dead!" he roared, "He's dead! Do you get that, you fucking idiot? He got hit by a car and he's dead!"

For a split second, a dull silence took over what could have quite possibly been the entire town as Cody's overwhelming announcement was given time to pass through both Damon and Jase's minds. After what was only a few seconds, however, Damon simply renewed his sick smile and shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well. That only means that no-one can stop me from beating the shit outta' you."

With Bailey's terrified shrieks drumming lifelessly in his ear, the only thing that Cody was concentrating on as his whole world slowed right down and he helplessly watched Damon's closed fist flying menacing towards him was one sole thought,

_It's all worth it for you, Zack…_

"Hold it!"

A rejuvenated breath brought new life into Cody as Damon immediately dropped his fist at the booming voice that erupted from behind him, while each of the teens turned around to see two police cars with three officers running straight towards them.

"Shit," Damon cursed, "Scatter, Jase, get the fuck out of here!"

As Damon and Jase took off in different directions and two of the three officers began on a foot race after them, Cody slowly slid down against the door of the van and crumbled to the ground in a shaken up, but relieved heap as Bailey collapsed tearfully in his lap, kissing him on the cheek and neck and thanking God over and over again that he was ok. The younger twin simply slinked an arm around Bailey's waist and rocked her back and forth, shushing her and trying his best to reassure her that he was ok.

"Are you alright, kid?" the police officer asked, bending down to Cody's level, "What happened here?"

Taking another deep breath, Cody opened his mouth and stuttered out a reply, "They were trying to m-mug my g-girlfriend and I. All I did was – "

"Whoa, wait a minute," the officer cut in, speaking slowly. Cody watched, confused, as the man gently tilted the younger twin's head up and looked into his face, a deep frown creasing his brow. A mere few seconds later, the dark haired police man gasped to himself in surprise, smirking, "You're Cody Martin."

Cody's heart stopped as he glanced over at Bailey in anxiousness, and then back at the officer, "What makes you say that?"

"Because I'm the one who's been looking all over L.A. for you for the last few days," he answered, helping both Cody and Bailey up, "I'm officer Matthews. Jeffrey Matthews."

His eyes expanding in apprehension, Cody quickly tried to think of something to say. Anything to stop this Officer Matthews from taking him back to the L.A. Tipton – he and Bailey had come too far for that to happen now.

"How the heck did you find us all the way out here?"

"Me and my other two officers got a distress call about a public disturbance," Matthews explained, "Do you have any idea how worried your parents have been about you, and your mother, so I hear, Bailey?"

Bailey nervously but her lip, "My mum?"

"You can't take us back there!" Cody interjected sharply, "I've got to get to Newberry! Nobody believes that my brother's alive!"

"I know, Cody," Matthews said, attempting to console him, "I know the whole story. But it's my responsibility to bring you kids home, not let you continue to wander the streets."

"But – "

"There's no telling what could happen to you out here," Matthews firmly continued, "If it's not a mugging in the street, then it's getting hit by a car, or something. That's the only reason I was out this way in the first place, you know. I got called to an emergency just a few blocks away – some poor kid got hit by a car and passed away, do you want that to be – "

"Wait, what?" Cody interrupted, "Hit by a car?"

Matthews nodded his confirmation, watching with curiosity as the expression on Cody's face went from a grave sadness to a sudden appearance of deep thought. The younger twin spun around to face Bailey, who was staring right back at him with great concern that the mention of who was presumably Nate would only upset her boyfriend all over again. Instead, however, Cody smirked as the cogs in his mind gradually began to turn.

"He was tall wasn't he?" Cody carefully asked of the officer, "Dark hair, a lightning bolt buzzed into the side of it? Sharp, green eyes?"

Matthews' brow instantly furrowed in critical suspicion as he eyed Cody questioningly, "If that were true, how would you know all that?"

"His name was Nate. Nathan Lucas. Bet you arrested the guy who hit him, right?"

Avoiding the question, Matthews glared deep into Cody's smug vision, "Are you trying to tell me that you were at the scene of the accident when it happened, Cody?"

With a conceited laugh, Cody shook his head, "I'm trying to tell you that you got the wrong guy. Pretty much, anyway. Nate didn't fall into the road, or anything like that – he was pushed."

"Pushed?" Matthews repeated, clearly alarmed, "Pushed by who?"

Releasing a breath of profound satisfaction, Cody looked over his shoulder at Bailey and gestured for her to come closer, taking her hand, "We'll tell you who it was that killed Nate when you take Bailey and I to Newberry hospital to get my brother back."

Just as staggered as Matthews was, Bailey looked on with her jaw touching the ground as Cody held in a breath and waited for the officer's response.

"This isn't a game, son."

"I know it's not – it's a deal," Cody countered, "You're not going to get the name out of me any other way unless you take us to that hospital. You can ring my parents as soon as we get there, I don't care, I just…" the younger twin abruptly trailed off as he forced himself to not let his emotions get the better of him any further, "…I just need my brother back."

After what could have surely been an eternity of contemplation, Matthews caught sight of the determination that absolutely smothered Cody's eyes. From what the twins' parents had informed him, Matthews was well aware that Cody Martin was certainly not one to back down when it came to something that he believed in, and when that particular something happened to be his twin brother – his Zack, his everything – it was rapidly becoming extremely evident that there really was utterly no point whatsoever in arguing with him.

In a final wave of hesitation, Matthews nodded towards Bailey, "Is that what your girlfriend wants, too?"

Bailey stood back, amazed at the opportunity that was seemingly only milimetres away from her and Cody's grasp, as her beautiful boyfriend gently spun around and gazed at her lovingly with his large, excited blue orbs. It made the farm-girl's heart swell with pure bliss to see true, blinding happiness beam off of Cody for the first time in what seemed like the longest of centuries.

Smiling at her with imploring expression, Cody licked his lips, "Are we going to go?"

As the farm-girl then swapped her vision between Matthews and the delighted image of her boyfriend, Bailey drew a blank, yet extremely genuine expression and ultimately declared herself to Cody, "I'll go wherever you go, Cody."

With that being all the confirmation needed, Matthews watched with the smallest possible of smiles as Cody and Bailey collected each other in an affectionate, devoted embrace before he then reluctantly opened up the back door of his squad car, "Alright then, get in."

The simplicity of the words from the officer sang beautifully in Cody's mind as his thoughts began racing at a million miles an hour,

_I'm coming, Zack._

_

* * *

_**Oooooh, what's going to happen now? :)**

**Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I actually had so much fun writing it, particualrly because I love writing the loving, close scenes between Cody and Bailey. There's still plenty of those to come :) As well as - _which is now the official confirmation_ - Zack's fate will be discovered by everybody in the next chapter :O I'll tell you all right now, that next chapter is going to be a predominantly short one as well - take that how you will :)**

**Anyways, heaps keen to hear what you all thought of this chapter :) You all should totally feel free to leave me a review with some kind of general comment :) Till next time guys - the _ultimate_ chapter!**

**Reneyyyyyyyyy x.  
**


	17. Indescribable

'Did you try to live on your own,  
When you burned down the house and home?  
Did you stand too close to the fire,  
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?'  
**_21 Guns - _**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen - Indescribable.**

**

* * *

**

Cody had always sort of pictured himself sitting in the back of a police car some day. Although, he had always imagined that it would be because some kind officer would be giving him a lift to the local penitentiary in order to pay Zack's bail money. It amazed him how quickly that time had come, and how the situation he had always envisioned was eerily similar to exactly what he was caught in now. While he certainly wasn't on his way to get Zack out of jail, Cody was still, without question, bailing his twin brother out.

Looking out of the window beside him, Cody sighed and gazed up at the clearing sky. It was at that magical time of day where it wasn't quite day, but it wasn't quite night, either. There were still a few visible stars that Cody could see shining back at him. The beauty of it all made him smile. Each dazzling planet that glared back at him held its own story, its own meaning and its own unique reason that made it special. The younger twin could merely heave another heavy breath as he wondered if Zack was sitting up in his hospital bed staring at the same sky with the same wonderment in which he was.

Awakening from his deep trance, Cody stirred slightly and looked to his right where Bailey was sitting beside him, holding onto his knee. The sheer sensation of her touch sent shivers rocketting up his spine as he smiled at her with all the excitement in the world. Bailey returned the gesture, grinning widely right back at her boyfriend. There were absolutely no words that could describe how happy she was that Cody was finally in high spirits again. It was all she ever really wanted to gain from their entire journey, besides getting Zack back, of course. And yet, as thrilled as she was to be almost at the exact place where Cody swore to all the heavens above that Zack was, Bailey was still struggling with all of her might to ignore the dull throbbing in the back of her mind that nagged at her to not, under any circumstances, get her hopes up. It wasn't that the farm-girl didn't believe the younger twin - it certainly wasn't that - but rather, it was purely because Bailey had never been one to ever allow faith to mix with logic.

The younger twin's eyes suddenly widened in deep anticipation as he heard Officer Matthews flick on his left blinker and sensed the car slowly begin to decelerate. Cody eagerly gazed out of the front windescreen and froze, his mouth agape at the image of the large, doughy, white building that sat before him - the large sign reading 'Newberry General Hospital' being the centre point of his vision.

Sighing reluctantly to himself, Matthews parked the car right by the front door and turned off the ignition, turning around to face the kids, "Ok, here's what we're going to do," he began, "There's a heck of a lot of doctors and nurses in there trying to keep the media out and whatnot, so if you two stay with me we should be able to convince someone to let us in and take a quiet look around, alright?"

With his heart pounding in loud expectancy directly in his ear, Cody abruptly ripped his seatbelt off and swung open his door at full force, tearing up the ramp and in between the sliding double-doors, stubbornly ignoring the urgent cries from Bailey and Jeffrey Matthews that he could hear exploding from behind him.

Upon entering the hospital, Cody forecefully compelled himself to stop running, so as not to bring attention to himself. He could feel his heart thumping louder and louder with every single step he took as he made a more valid entrance into the hospital lobby. He gazed around each of the pale walls that glowered back at him, searching for any signs that may inform him whereabouts it was that Zack and the other S.S. Tipton capsize patients were being kept. With this idea gaining no success, Cody quickly began to grow desperate as he spun around and subtly glanced up the two separate hallways that parted from either side of the lobby. Standing at the entrance of one of the two there was a very young looking nurse who was awkwardly trying to balance the many different food trays on her trolley for the patients. She fumbled with the bowls of what Cody could barely begin to believe was actaully food and delicately attempted to keep her balance, looking over her shoulder clumsily as she did so.

Taking a deep breath, Cody tried to keep himself from elatedly shaking as he approached the woman and opened his mouth to speak, "Um, excuse me, miss? I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me where it is that the patients from the S.S. Tipton capsize are staying?"

Cody held in his breath, all too aware that none of the hospital personnel were permitted under any circumstances to reveal that information. If his judge of this particular nurse's character was right, however, he prayed that the young, inept woman would disclose the classified details before she even realised that she had done so. Instead, however, she only cursed silently to herself as she dropped one of her numerous trays and gazed down regretfully at the mess she had made on the floor.

Taking this to his own advantage, Cody bent down and picked up the tray, bowl, knife and fork for her. Smiling at her politely, the nurse soon grinned straight back, "Thank you," she said timidly, "The patients are all up this hallway right here."

Before another single word could be exchanged between them, or the nurse had the chance to comprehend her error and stop him, Cody instantly spun around on his heels and powered up the hallway as fast as he possibly could, barging past an older looking nurse as he did so.

"Hey!" she yelled after him, "You're not permitted up there!"

Ignoring the booming, angry voice erupting from behind him, Cody thudded up the long, extensive corridor. It seemed to stretch on forever, like a never-ending journey across a dull, white ocean as the younger twin desperately peered around the corner of door after door, gazing right into the faces of many people that he shrilly recognised from his time aboard the S.S. Tipton, however, it took hardly any strength out of him to simply turn away and continue his search for Zack's room.

The blinding, sweat-bearing, heated emotions of tremendous anticipation were suffocating Cody with every single winded step he took as he completed investigating almost all of the rooms and quickly neared what had become the very last one. His mind was cycling - racing at a million miles an hour, constantly saying _I'm here, Zack! I'm here! _Cody could hear the conversation now, he could just envision his reuniting with his twin. He would tell Zack that he was sorry for everything that happened between them and that he missed him and couldn't live without him by his side. He was panting heavily, partly from pure exhaustion but also from the severe expectation that had taken over him. Reaching out to grab the door handle of the final room - the only plausible place where Zack could be, a smile of sheer ecstasy broke out across Cody's lips. His heart rate at an extreme acceleration, Cody melted in the blissful expectation of how incredible it would feel to sleep properly that night. How indescribable it would be to have Zack back safely with him. Just as quickly as he had made his advance, Cody finally forced open the tall, white door and at long last came face to face with -

Emptiness.

The room was full. Two beds, two separate individuals. The emptiness in question had stemmed from Cody's heart. Because in this very last room - in the entire hospital, there was no Zack.

The realisation of what was happening to him crushed down onto Cody's shoulders like a ton of bricks. It overwhelmed him, destroyed him and eventually caused his feet to give out underneath him as he slid down against the door, bringing his knees to his chest in a hot flurry of immediate tears.

Cody watched hopelessly at the two fully grown men as they slept in their beds, blinking and pinching himself as hard as he could to try and wake himself up from the nightmare he had regretfully fallen into. But even through his teary eyes and blistering, bleeding skin, Zack didn't magically appear before him. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. His previous heartbreak fell so incredibly short of the intense and extreme pain he felt bubbling in his chest and that very moment. His heart and his complete soul had been ripped out and crushed.

As quickly as he had made it, as quickly as he had felt his hopes and wishes soar - just as quickly as all that, Cody had lost his biggest chance of being reunited with Zack. The grief felt as swift and decisive as a slit throat or a set of lungs filled fatally with the vile swash of the ocean. And while Cody continued to sit there, desperately pouring out what was left of his heart through his warm tears, he instantly lost all aluring beauty he felt for the gorgeous heavens above. Whenever he looked up in the sky and saw a star from now on, all he would think of was Zack.

* * *

'When it's time to live and let die  
And you can't get another try  
Something inside this heart has died  
You're in ruins.'  
**_- Green Day._**


	18. Tearful Goodbyes

'And I know we won't touch for months  
And your smell will evade me  
But our love could survive a war  
Without the slightest sore.  
And I know I can't taste your skin  
With an ocean between us  
But our love is a dinosaur  
Hear it roar.'  
******__****__****_Dinosaur - Kisschasy._**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen - Tearful Goodbyes.**

* * *

Bailey sat still and silent, her bottom lip still quivering and her hand tentatively wrapped around Cody's. She swore with every emotion she had and in every sense of the word that she would never forget the image that she had regretfully come face to face with upon entering the hospital for as long as she lived.

Bailey had felt her heart shatter to a million pieces the precise second she had reached the end of the corridor to find Cody curled up in the foetal position, crying frantically into his knees that were painfully dug up under his chin. She had immediately, and unwillingly, figured out what had happened, and had then collapsed sadly next to her boyfriend, enveloping him in her grasp and crying just as hysterically.

Now, Cody sat stiffly and dejectedly, his vision cast straight ahead at the pale, white wall before where he and Bailey sat. An instant wave of relief had swept over the farm-girl the moment that Cody had taken the offer of her hand in his. It purely amazed her that even amongst the younger twin's darkest possible moments, he still absolutely refused to shut Bailey out. But even so, as they sat in the dull quiet they had created between them, Bailey nervously mulled over what there possibly was for her to say or do to make Cody feel - not better, that was impossible - but simply any improvement on the all time low that he was at now.

What perhaps astonished Bailey more than anything else, however, and established the most devastating feeling that she had ever succumb to was the distressing realisation that Zack was, in actual fact, truly gone. Bailey was certain that Cody was right and Zack was in Newberry General hospital and was completely fine - and alive. But he wasn't.

In the next moment, Bailey suddenly looked up - though, of course, Cody didn't - as a pair of footsteps were heard coming towards them. She forced an extremely reluctant smile as Officer Jeffrey Matthews stood over the young couple and offered a sympathetic nod of his head.

"Cody, Bailey," he started seemingly unsure of himself, "I can't possibly begin to understand how either one of you are - "

"Tyler Lucas," Cody abruptly interjected, earning himself a wide-eyed stare from both Bailey and Matthews at the unexpected sound of his voice. The blonde farm-girl anxiously scanned her boyfriend's face for any sign or hint of the emotion he had been hiding exceptionally well beneath his exterior, but still, had no such luck.

Matthews raised a curious eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Nate's cousin," Cody explained sourly, "Ty. She pushed him."

Matthews eyed Bailey suspiciously as Cody turned his head back to the wall in front of him, refusing to speak another word. Clearing her throat, Bailey slowly nodded her head, "It's true. Ty did that to her own cousin."

Sombrely nodding his head once more, Matthews wiped his brow, looking to Cody, "Thank you, Cody, for keeping your end of our deal." He then re-faced Bailey, "How about you come with me into the next room and tell me a bit more about this Tyler? I think Cody could probably do with time on his own, anyway."

Feeling frenzied at the thought of leaving Cody's side, Bailey turned to face him. While the younger twin kept his eyes glued to the wall, he instead gently squeezed his girlfriend's hand in support, sending a million electric shivers up her arm as her heart thudded lightly in her chest.

As Bailey then nodded her approval, she leaned over and kissed Cody softly on the cheek and then stood up and walked off in the direction that Matthews was gesturing to her, leaving Cody sitting stilly on his own.

Cody could feel the burn of Bailey's kiss flaming against his skin in caressing affection. He hoped that he wasn't blocking her out too much, but at the same time, he was certain within himself that he wasn't quite yet at the stage where he was ready to share his emotions - not with her or anyone else. After all, he was still trying to come to terms with them himself.

"Mr. Martin?"

Cody continued to glare hard at the wall opposite him, blinked, and then allowed his vision to fall upon the image of the older nurse who had previously tried to stop him when he had sprinted up the hospital corridor. He simply stared at her, his red-rimmed eyes filled with emptiness, and waited for her to speak.

"I wish you hadn't burst through here only to get your heart broken like that. It surely would've have been much easier to hear from us that you're brother isn't here," she spoke with a sad, compassionate sigh as she took Bailey's seat beside him. The younger twin clenched his teeth angrily, wanting to bark at the woman that he didn't need nor desire her pity but, instead, decided to keep his mouth shut.

The slightly hefty nurse heaved another breath, "And I appreciate how devastated this must all be to you, but you must appreciate how busy we are at this particular point in time. Now, I'm sure Officer Matthews has informed you that your parents - "

"Cody!"

Before the nurse could even contemplate finishing her thoughts about Carey and Kurt arriving at Newberry General, Cody's head robotically snapped up at the sound of his mother's voice as he saw both of his parents dashing towards him.

As livid as Cody may have been when he had first heard that his parents were planning on taking him back to Boston with no investigation whatsoever into whether Zack was really alive or not, the mere sensation of seeing his mum and dad after all this time caused every single past emotion of anger to completely wash away from the younger twin's core as he leapt up from his chair, sprinted towards Carey and lunged into her open embrace.

"Oh, Cody," Carey droned in tear-ridden happiness, "Cody, thank God you're ok. Baby, I was so worried about you."

Cody breathed heavily into Carey's shoulder, holding back the tears of his own, "Mum, Zack's - "

"I know, baby, I know," Carey interjected. She stifled a shaky breath as her tears began to flow faster, "I'm so sorry you've had to go through this, Cody."

"Yeah, but, Mum - " the younger attempted again, but was then cut off by a strong tug on his shirt as he was towed into a fierce hug from his father. Cody rolled his eyes, craving - for the first time in what felt like a lifetime - the opportunity to speak.

"Buddy, you have no idea much sleep we lost over this whole thing," Kurt joked with a stern tone, "Don't ever do something like this to us again, do you understand?"

Pushing away from his dad's grip, Cody felt his head spin as he was caught between the conflicting personalities of his over-affectionate mother and his reprimanding father. "I'm fine," he spat in reassurance, "I'm ok - Bailey and I are both ok."

Cody suddenly froze, wide-eyed, as his own words brought a new and worrying thought to his mind, "Where's Bailey's mum?"

Carey and Kurt instantly glared at each other in uncertainty. While the two of them had already had the unique pleasure of meeting Nadia Pickett, as well as hearing just how much she didn't appreciate their son leading her daughter so far astray, Cody could only guess that by the sound of the nasally voice he then heard resonating up the corridor that he, too, was just about to have that exact same gratification.

"Bailey! Bailey-Bunny!"

Cody cringed at the high pitched shriek as Nadia then revealed herself at the end of the hallway, wasting no time carrying her short, stout figure up to where he and his parents were standing. Her shoulder-length, fiery red hair matched the blazing fury in her eyes as she waddled angrily towards Cody, her eyes glaring sharp daggers at him.

"Mrs. Pickett - " Carey began, trying to calm the flames licking at her son's feet.

"Don't interrupt me," Nadia snapped hypocritically, "Where is my Bailey?"

Stifling a nervous gulp, Cody held his strong, tall stance and tried not to blink at the intimidating rage coating Nadia's entire exterior. Just as the younger twin was about to open his mouth and begin to attempt to explain himself and his actions, each set of eyes in the corridor suddenly looked up at the sound of the door to the next room opening to reveal Bailey standing on the other side of it.

"Momma?" she asked in confusion.

An explosive smile of relief impulsively beamed across Nadia's face as she pushed past the younger twin and collected Bailey in an affectionate embrace.

"Mum," Bailey began in uncertainty, wriggling out of her mother's tight grip, "Wha-what are you doing here?"

Nadia frowned in a similar amount of confusion, "I'm here to take you home," she answered, nothing the shock in her daughter's wide eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you? I've had no idea where you've been, what you've been doing or if you've been ok! And now, after all this time, you've been running halfway across the state with him?"

"Hehas a name!" Bailey thundered at Nadia, "His name is Cody! And it's not like this was all his idea, either - Cody never forced me into doing anything I didn't want to! He didn't even want to bring me along with him in the first place!"

Nadia scoffed in disgust as Kurt grabbed a hold of Carey's arm, all too aware that at any moment she was bound to leap to the defence of their son, as well.

Officer Matthews, who had been standing in the doorway listening after his conversation with Bailey about Ty, abruptly opened his mouth to speak, "May I ask that all of you please move this discussion to another location? There are still many doctors and nurses trying to get some work done around here."

Wiping her eyes with the back of her wrist, Bailey then side-stepped her mum, taking Cody's hand as the two of them began to walk back down the corridor, "I'm not going home," the farm-girl declared as they marched along, "I can't. I don't want to leave Cody after Zack..."

The mention of his brother's name amongst Bailey's tone of devestation was like another hard slap right across Cody's face as he strived his absolute hardest to ignore both the sound of the heated footsteps following he and his girlfriend, as well as the heart-wretching combination of emotions that were still overloading at the boiling rate in his stomach.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, young lady!" Nadia continued in a patronizing tone, "You're coming back to Kettlecorn with me as soon as I get an apology from your so-called boyfriend."

A twinging chord suddenly snapped against Cody's heart as he froze on the spot, tugging Bailey lightly towards him as he slowly spun around and glared at Nadia in total and utter perplexity. Bailey's world seemed to slow as she immediately noticed the immense animosity that had swiftly taken over her boyfriend's core, surprised to find that even a gentle squeeze of his hand failed to ease his fury.

"What?" he grunted rudely.

"You heard me," Nadia spat back, "I want an apology for all that you've put me and my daughter and our whole family through."

Glancing between each of the faces that were staring hard at him, Cody felt his insides burst in anger as everyone's expression told him to just get it over with and to let Bailey's stuck up mother have the pride of getting him to say sorry. It made him feel sick. Cody knew whole-heartedly that over the past few days he had done things that he never would've imagined himself doing. But he also knew just as surely that he still had his dignity, and nothing was going to allow him to let that go.

"No."

Nadia's brow furrowed, "Excuse me?"

"I said 'no'," Cody repeated, "I'm not saying I'm sorry. Not to you, not to my own parents - not to anyone! I don't regret anything I've done, and I know Bailey doesn't either."

Bailey felt her heart flutter at the defiance in her boyfriend's voice. It was a side of him that she had certainly had enough time to get used to over the past few days, and was quickly becoming one of the main reasons she loved him so much.

"But I do understand where you're coming from," Cody went on, "So just let me say goodbye to Bailey before you leave, ok?"

The fluttering in the farm-girl's heart came to an abrupt stop, "Wait, what?"

Cody looked down sadly at the sudden distress that had overtaken Bailey's eyes, "Bailey... your mum's right. You need to go home."

All tender emotion was violently squeezed out of Bailey's heart as she felt a ton of bricks crash down onto her shoulders and she tore away from the grip Cody held on her hand, "No!" she screamed.

The younger twin took a deep breath to suppress his tears, "Bailey, please - "

"No, no! No way! You can't be letting her do this to us, Cody, you're meant to be on my side!"

Carey felt a tear trickle down her face at the pain in her son's voice as he continued to speak, "I am on your side, sweetie - "

"No you're not! Not if you let her tear us apart!" the farm-girl raged on as she turned on her heels, "I love you, I thought you loved me!" she yelled before running off down the corridor and out of the hospital.

"Love?" Nadia questioned as Cody took off after Bailey without a second's thought, "The two of you know nothing about love!"

"I won't ask the three of you again," Matthews warned just as Carey took a threatening step towards Nadia, "Please exit the corridor so that the doctors may continue their work."

* * *

The early morning sun was warm on Bailey's tear-ridden face as she dashed out between the hospital's double doors and collapsed upright against the brick wall. Her shoulders shook heavily through her choking sobs. The last thing she ever expected was Cody to let her go without a fight. She thought that after losing Zack, she would become the most important thing in his life - something he would never, ever let go of. The mere sentiment that told her that that may not be true was enough to make her want to rip her own heart out before he could.

"Bailey?" the younger twin called moments later, bursting through the doors. The farm-girl tried to run away, but Cody soon spotted her and approached, placing his hands against the wall on either side of her, preventing any chance of an escape.

Bailey instantly glanced down at the ground, "Are you trying to make me slap you again?"

"I just want you to listen to me," Cody asked her, "Can you do that for me?"

Licking his lips, Cody took Bailey's silence as implied consent, and then opened his mouth to speak again, "I am on your side. I'd never abandon you," he spoke reassuringly, "But you need your family right now. I promise you, staying with me is not going to make you feel any better. I don't want you around me while I'm going through this."

"Through what, exactly?" Bailey snapped, eventually locking eyes with Cody, "I know physically what is going on, Cody, but I don't have the slightest clue what's happening in your head! Emotionally. Why won't you just talk to me?"

"Because I've still got to figure it out for myself," Cody replied in an instant, causing Bailey to shift her eyes back to the ground. The younger twin then took one hand away from the wall and tilted his girlfriend's head up so she was looking at him again. "I don't want you around me when I'm like this," he repeated, "I love you too much for that."

Bailey blinked away a couple of solemn tears.

"And it doesn't mean I'm letting you go," Cody went on, pushing a strand of Bailey's blonde hair behind her ear, "One more year of school. Then you and me can go to college together, we can leave together - I'll take you wherever you want to go. We can live in a different town, a different state, a whole different country! Then we can be together for real and forever, ok?"

Freely allowing her tears to fall now, Bailey smiled as all negative thoughts of Cody in her mind were impulsively replaced with images of their happy, promising future together, once they had finally managed to get through all the devastation and loss caused in the state of Los Angeles. An electric shiver naturally jolted up her spine as she then propelled herself forward and crashed her lips against Cody's, feeling all his warmth and passion cascade throughout her whole body.

"I love you," she murmured as they parted.

Cody forced the smallest of smiles, "I love you, too. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Bailey, you know that, right?"

The farm-girl nodded her head and then linked her fingers with Cody's as he spoke a quiet 'good' before he began to lead he back inside where their parents were.

"Cody, wait," Bailey spoke, gaining his concerned attention. He watched as his Southern Belle took a deep, worried breath, "Cody, what do think happened to Brayden and Hog?"

The mere thought of Nate that automatically linked with the notion of Brayden and Hog set a painful fire alight in the depths of Cody's stomach. Amid the rest of his agony, the younger twin forcefully willed himself to ignore the explosive grief attached with Nate's name. He had other things to worry about before he could fully allow himself to come to terms with Nate's death.

Shrugging his shoulder, Cody sighed, "I don't know, beautiful."

"Well, do you think we'll ever see them again?"

There was a short silence as Cody mulled over his answer, "I don't know."

The reality of their lack of knowlege follwed them in sadness as the two then re-eneterd the hospital hand in hand to find their parents stewing silently in the waiting room. In a sharp instant, Carey stood up from her chair and drew Cody into a gentle hug, kissing his forehead in obvious concern for his state of mind.

"Cody, baby, is everything ok?"

"Leave it, Carey," Kurt interjected before Cody had the chance to speak, "He clearly doesn't want to speak to us much about anything."

A fresh flicker of anger flashed in the younger twin's eyes, "That's so like you, isn't it, Dad?"

Kurt frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Acting all hurt when we shut you out even though you're not around ninety percent of the time to see or care about what's going on in our lives," Cody answered all too quickly.

"Ha, good parenting," Nadia snorted.

"Wait a minute, Cody," Carey interrupted on the brink of another breakdown, "What do you mean 'our'? Who is this 'we'?"

Realising now, too, exactly what it was that Cody had said, Kurt fell to a similar silence as both he and his ex-wife glanced at Cody with extreme amounts of unease.

After a few moments of contemplation, Cody simply shook his head, "I've been trying to tell you all morning. You kept interrupting me. I don't even know how many more times I have to say it."

In one final instant of clear love and devotion for his beautiful girlfriend, Cody leaned over and held back his miserable tears as he kissed Bailey chastly on the cheek and then turned around to walk back out of the large, hospital doors to where he had spotted what was unmistakenly one of the Tipton's limosuines, speaking strongly and emphatically as he did so,

"Zack's not here, but I'd know if my own twin brother was dead. And Zack's not dead."

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**Hello my amazing readers :) Let me start by saying how sorry I am that it's taken three weeks for me to update, especially since last time I gave you two chapters in two nights. It's just been a little hard because after I wrote those last couple of chapters, school started back up and BAM! hello year 12. It's been a real juggling act for me to try and find time for my writing while I'm also worried about school work and drama productions and trying to settle into my last year of school. I hope you all forgive me :) Oh, and I'm also sorry for the lack of an author's note in my last chapter. I just kinda' felt like that was a moment I shouldn't ruin.**

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**Now, onto this chapter... What do we think? Is Cody going insane or is there really a chance that Zack could still be alive? In the next chapter, he's going home to Boston. Anyone care to guess what that could lead to? Also, to answer a question from Lady Alice101, there is still about five or so chapters to go in this story. Yeah, there's still a fair but to cover :)**

**Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it and decide to be awwweeesomee and leave me a review :) Thanks, and till next time guys!**

**************__********************************Reneyyyyyy x.**


	19. Wishing

'Pretend he just stayed outside all day and played with his friends  
Pretend he even had a friend to say was his friend.  
And it wasn't time to move and schools were changing again  
He wasn't socially awkward and just strange as a kid.'  
**_Airplanes pt. 2 - B.O.B ft. Hayley Williams and Eminem._**

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**Chapter Nineteen - Wishing.**

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It all appeared before him like something out of a dream.

Cody stood in the doorway of his bedroom in the Tipton hotel, Boston, staring with wide eyes at the blissful image that he had left behind what seemed like a lifetime ago when he had departed his childhood home and set off on the S.S. Tipton. But, of course, there was something drastically and depressingly different about it at that particular moment. Zack wasn't there with him.

After spending what felt like an eternity at LAX in California, Cody finally found himself back in Boston at about quarter past eleven that same night. He unzipped his colourful, new jacket that London had given him all those days ago and simply tossed it onto his bed, his mind still aswarm with thoughts of Zack, Bailey and Nate. They all combined to cause a throbbing ache that erupted in the back of his skull.

Cody slowly allowed his eyes to become sensitised to the other half of his bedroom as he looked up to where Zack's camouflage covered bed was glaring back at him. It all seemed so out of place. Carey had obviously been keeping her boys' room clean while they were gone as the older twin's bed was made perfectly without a single wrinkle in the bedspread. Part of Cody wanted to run over and jump on it, messing it up for lack of not resembling his brother anymore, but the other part of him didn't want to allow himself to go that insane. Not yet, anyway.

Snapping out of his deep trance, Cody blinked as he could hear Carey shuffling around in the lounge room, more than likely simply busying herself with something - anything - to keep her mind off Zack.

From the very moment that Cody and his parents had left Newberry General hospital up until the time that they had landed back in Boston, Carey and Kurt had been arguing with each other as worse as Cody had ever heard them. From what the younger twin could gather, Carey was upset at Kurt, and blaming him, for giving her false hope about Zack. Kurt had retaliated by blatantly ordering Carey to move on like he was planning to - that neither of them, nor Cody, were ever going to move on with their lives if they continued to grieve for Zack rather than celebrate and remember him.

That had been about all Cody could take before he snapped at the both of them, telling them that there was nothing to mourn over at all because Zack was still alive. The patronizing reply he had received from his father had intentionally caused Cody to tell him not to come back to the hotel with he and Carey, and as much as Kurt had protested that he wanted to make sure his younger son was going to be ok, Cody had remained persistent. The only thing now, however, was that he was stuck with no-one to lean on except his immensely miserable mother.

"Cody?" Carey's voice croaked as she gently pushed open the boys' bedroom door and peered in around the corner. She felt her heart stop for a second or two as she caught the image of Cody standing in the room alone glancing at Zack's bed through his red-rimmed eyes.

"Cody?" she repeated, "Are you hungry at all, baby? Is there anything you want?"

Cody sighed to himself. He knew deep down that Carey was simply trying to be the best mother she possibly could given the particular circumstances, but the only person that the younger twin wanted near him as much as Zack at that moment was Bailey. And both Carey and Nadia had made it clear that Cody and Bailey wouldn't be seeing each other for a long time.

"Actually… I just want to be on my own, Mum," Cody countered, tenderly rejecting her offer.

Nodding her head at a lack of what there possibly was to say, Carey then simply wiped her own tear stained eyes and kissed Cody softly on the forehead, "Alright then sweetie. Try to get some sleep."

In a sick way, Cody felt like laughing the precise second that Carey had left the room. 'Try to get some sleep', he repeated to himself.

_Yeah, right._

Taking in a deep breath, the younger twin soon forced himself to direct his eyes away from Zack's side of their bedroom as he took a few cautious steps over to the large window that sat at the front of the room. The image of the night sky and the heavens above shot an eerie shiver up Cody's spine. While it had merely been the morning just gone where Cody had been completely hypnotised by the glory of the stars and planets above, he found himself in that particular moment gazing up into space and thinking of nothing but Zack - just as he imagined he would.

Swallowing back a chunk of what he only suspected were more heart-retching tears, Cody exhaled another heaving sigh and blinked a couple of times, continuing to stare at the gleaming, glistening stars above.

"Where are you, Zack?"

* * *

The long, draining minutes continued to tick the by the next morning as Cody lay in bed staring up at the pale, white ceiling above his head. For about the past twenty minutes – at the least – Cody had been trying to recall whether or not he had actually fallen asleep the night before. It was becoming agonizingly difficult to take notice of anything he did anymore, considering how messed up his sleeping pattern as well as everything else he did in his day to day life had become.

Pushing this thought aside, Cody rolled over in his bed and stared at the glowing numbers of his digital clock that glared back at him. He frowned as he saw that it was well after one in the afternoon and Carey was yet to make an appearance in an attempt to get him out of bed. It seemed that both of them were acting so strangely and unlike themselves. Considering the circumstances, however, as Zack's image once again flew through Cody's mind, the younger twin supposed their lack of typical characteristics was more than understandable.

Cody's head spun as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. His brain was throbbing with a cluster of dull thoughts. Obviously, he couldn't stop thinking about Zack, but as well as this, he missed Bailey like hell and he was trying as much as humanly possible to remain true to his own word by holding back his grievances for Nate until he found his brother. It was quickly becoming clear to the younger twin, however, that the latter was certainly a lot easier said than done.

As a reluctant sigh escaped his lips, Cody then stood up and walked towards his bedroom door, not exactly feeling overly excited to see or speak to his mother. He was feeling lifeless enough without having to put up with Carey's depressed and despondent attitude, not to mention listen to her speak about Zack as if he was dead.

A small smile of relief crept across Carey's features as she looked over to the other side of the room at the sound of Cody's bedroom door creaking open. The awkwardness of the situation quickly took over, however, as Carey realised that as the beaming expression fell from her face, she had absolutely no idea what to say to her son.

Stifling a nervous gulp, Carey felt her breath hitch as her eyes locked with Cody's, "Hi, baby," she offered lamely.

Cody pushed his hair out of his face, "Hey."

The sound of the younger twin's voice made Carey's heart skip a beat in reprieve, "How are you feeling? Are you hungry?"

Walking over to the lounge room, Cody took a seat on the arm of the chair, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. He was getting really sick of that question, so much so that he sort of wished that Carey would ask him if he was ok. At least then he'd be able to laugh again.

"No, Mum, I'm not hungry."

Carey sighed, "Come on, Cody, how long has it been since you've had a proper meal?"

Cody's brow creased as an answer to Carey's rhetoric question instantly flashed through his mind. Six days, he thought, or perhaps more than that. All Cody knew was that six days ago he had been on the S.S. Tipton with Bailey planning a romantic breakfast with her only to have Zack ruin it by climbing up into the crow's nest of the ship. A dark irony clawed at Cody's insides to think that that was only the _second_ most dangerous thing that had happened to Zack that day.

Thinking twice about revealing his inner-most feelings, Cody simply shook his head, "Just forget about it, ok?" he sniped. The younger twin then set a stern-faced gaze at the confused features of Carey's face where she sat at the kitchen table flicking mindlessly through a magazine. "You might be able to act like everything's normal, but I can't."

The snapping reply from her youngest son plucked against Carey's heartstrings in a sharp, hurtful twinge as the perplexity on her face grew while Cody turned on his heels and headed back to his room.

"Cody?" she called softly, yet to no avail. "Cody?" she repeated, standing up from her chair, "Cody, come and talk to me."

"Why?" the younger twin barked just as cruelly, "Do you actually think you can try and _convince_ me that everything's normal?"

Carey frowned, "Don't you think I know that this isn't normal, Cody?"

"It's not just this, though," Cody argued, waving his arms around to emphasise the 'this', "It's you, it's Dad, it's _everyone_!"

"And you don't think you're acting a little out of character, either?"

Ignoring his mother's retort, Cody's face suddenly softened, "It was you who was convinced that Zack and I had a case of folie a deux when we were thirteen, remember?"

The memory caused Carey to shrink away and direct her vision off of Cody, trying to disregard his claim as he fiercely prolonged.

"You said that we both had the same dream about that crazy parallel dimension at the same time. We've always been able to tell when the other was hurt or upset or angry," he went on, his voice cracking, "but now you're saying that you don't believe me when I know with every inch of my being that my brother is alive!"

Shaking her head, Carey struggled to keep her tears within her as she tried to understand where this outburst of anger from her son had come from, "You're not thinking logically, Cody. You're… this is just your way of grieving, there's no other way to explain it! Why are you so angry all of a sudden?"

"Because you're not listening to me," Cody snapped with a scoff, "I was dealing with it just fine until you found it necessary to start trying to take my mind off of him. I'm not going insane, Mum, I know I'm not."

Another grunt of disbelief escaped Cody's lips as he watched Carey intently while she shook her head again and wiped a fresh set of tears from her eyes.

"So you still don't believe me?" he challenged.

The desolate silence that enveloped the suite said nothing to Cody but an implied 'no'. Quickly racing into his bedroom and grabbing his jacket to conceal his pyjama top, Cody then slipped his shoes on at the front door and ripped it open.

"You're just like Dad."

Carey flinched and allowed a painful sob to crack at the back of her throat as Cody slammed the door behind him and disappeared down the corridor of the twenty-third floor.

The younger twin had no idea where he was going, and frankly, he didn't care. All those who had been on his side were gone, and he was alone. Completely alone - and there was no way in hell that he was going to sit around in the dismal suite with the company of his disheartened mother all day and be forced to listen to the fictitious speculation that Zack was dead.

* * *

He hadn't even stopped to comprehend how long he had been out walking the streets for, but when Cody rounded one of the corners of downtown Boston and sensed his eyes widen at the image of his old school friends standing before him, he figured that it would've had to have been a couple of hours.

The younger twin felt as if he was frozen in time for the shortest of seconds as he took in the picture of Max, Bob and Barbara all standing at the other end of the block, simply gazing in disbelief back at him.

Cursing slightly under his breath, Cody turned on his heels, hoping that they hadn't particularly noticed him, but only groaned inwardly as he heard the shrill voice of his and Zack's tom-boy friend, Max, echoing his name up the road.

"Cody!" she repeated, gradually catching up to him.

Panting heavily, Max tilted her head as she examined her old friend standing before her - Cody doing the same. Her hair was a lot longer than he remembered, and while she was still dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a baggy t-shirt as she had always tended, Cody couldn't help but take note of just how much of a beautiful young woman Max had grown into.

Swallowing hard, Cody then opened his mouth to speak, "Max," he said plainly.

The young brunette cocked a concerned eyebrow, "That's it? A year and a half you've been away and that's it? Just 'Max'?"

"Cody!" came the unison cry from the younger twin's other two friends, as Bob and Barbara made their eventual approach, arm in arm.

Cody took a moment to cringe at the memory of his ex-girlfriend and his ex-best friend becoming a couple the second that he had left Boston on the ship. He recalled how shocked and hurt he had been by the betrayal, but soon shook his head at his own thoughts as they were instead replaced with the images of his beautiful Southern Belle.

"Hey guys," he put forward blankly.

The blonde twin forced himself not to laugh softly to himself for a minute or two as he allowed his vision to trace Bob and Barbara up and down, observing that neither of them had changed that much since he had last seen them on the ship. He at least took the pride in himself that he had done a lot of remodelling on both his appearance and personality since he was fourteen - even if his old friends hadn't.

"How are you doing, Cody?" Barbara then asked with a nervous tone.

Cody rolled his eyes. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the questions about Zack started rolling in, but unluckily for his old Cheevers' friends, he wasn't particularly in the most up-beat of moods.

"I'm…" Cody paused for a moment, hesitating over his answer, "I'm dealing with it. That's all the matters."

"Word is you're in denial," Bob accidentally spat out, earning himself a slap in the chest from his girlfriend.

An amused smirk crossed Cody's face, "Is that what they're calling it?"

Shooting Bob a filthy glare, Max turned her attention back to Cody. She remained silent for a second or two, completely unsure of what to say, "Nobody thinks that about you," she said reassuringly. There was another brief quiet before a small smile glided across Max's lips, "You look great, Cody. It's so good to see you again."

As Barbara and Bob nodded their heads in the background, Cody returned Max's gesture. Amongst all his feelings of angst and uncertainty, it surprised him how genuine Max's words sounded. It definitely wasn't what he had been expecting upon returning home and leaving all those who he felt to be his true friends behind.

"Thanks," he replied gently.

The beam on Max's face grew with the sparkle in her eye, "Look, we were going to go down to the market and get a drink, or something. It'd be great if you could come and catch up with us." The brunette dancer frowned as Cody looked doubtful at her request, "We don't have to talk about Zack if you don't want to," she added boldly.

While the pair of friends standing off to the side seemingly winced at the mention of the older twin, Cody looked to the ground and grinned to himself again, respecting Max's bravado in bringing up Zack's name. Even so, the younger twin was still hesitant.

"Max… I don't know, I mean, I left my place to be on my own and I just don't think that…"

The three teens all waited for Cody to continue talking, but simultaneously came to a bewildered standstill as the younger twin totally trailed off, his vision cast straight ahead of him, beyond his friends. Spinning around exceptionally slowly, a menacing glower swiftly crossed Max's face as she spotted the Drew Crew advancing on the opposite end of Cody's beeline of sight. Barbara and Bob were soon doing the same as Cody gulped subtly to himself.

Drew had certainly grown into a much bigger boy since Cody had left, but a desperate feeling in the pit of his empty stomach told him that the bully's looming stance was going to be the least of his worries.

"Well, look who's back," Drew laughed callously, "It's Clone Two!"

Cody scoffed quietly to himself as the rest of Drew's thugs chuckled brashly, still - somehow - finding the four year old joke funny.

"What do you want Drew?" Cody challenged bravely.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," Drew shot back sarcastically, "Heard you hit a bit of a tidal wave while you've been away."

Gritting his teeth, Cody clenched his fists in his pockets as Max stepped forward, "Get out of here, Drew!"

"Yeah," Bob chimed in, "He's gone through enough without you trying to make him feel any worse!"

"Make him feel worse?" Drew mimicked cynically, "Were you not listening to me before? I just want to make sure the little guy's ok."

"I'm a little bigger than what I was when I left, Drew," Cody sniped, "And I've been through more than even _you_ could ever imagine."

The Drew Crew snickered amongst themselves as Drew took back the lead, "So, you care to share any of that knowledge with us? Or are you gonna wait until you come back to school?"

"Haven't decided if I'm coming back at all yet."

"Gee, that's a shame," the bully continued. In a final moment of pure brutality, a sinister smile etched its way across Drew's lips, "That'll leave me with _two_ less people to pick on, right? Maybe your brother should've learnt how to swim before setting off to sea."

As a slowing world filled with shocked, horrified gasps and an evil array of maniac laughter reverberated against the deep depths of Cody's shaken and damaged core, the younger twin then blinked away the fierce, sudden tears that stung the corners of his eyes and impulsively acted on a sharp thought that flashed through his mind.

_Block with your left arm and then swing up from underneath with your right._

As Drew recoiled brusquely from the devastating connection of Cody's fist to his face, the rest of the bully's crew instantly jumped in, ready to gnash and claw at the boy daring - or stupid - enough to take on their fearless leader. Barbara shrieked in surprise as Max and Bob both wretched forward and pulled Cody away, stubbornly ignoring the blood trickling from his knuckles.

"Cody!" Max yelled at him in shock.

"What are you doing, man?" Bob asked in correspondence.

Spitting a wad of blood out of his mouth, Drew gazed up at the seething image of Cody in great trepidation. His lip trembled in pain while Max and Bob both struggled to hold Cody back.

"Get out of here, Drew," Max warned, watching with some slim satisfaction as the rest of the crew helped up their so-called valiant and courageous leader and ran off up the block, around the corner and out of sight.

The second that they were gone, Bob let go of Cody while Max shoved him away with a burst of sceptical anger, "What is your problem?" she sniped without a seconds' thought.

"Oh, come on, Max!" Cody yelled, "You and I both know he's deserved a punch in the mouth since we were twelve."

"So, what makes you the one to give it to him?"

"Because he was being a jerk about my brother!" Cody thundered. His breath was heavy as it filled, emptied and re-filled his lungs, and a line of sweat was running down his face, past his temples as they pumped with adrenalin.

A surge of grieving pain had jolted through his heart at the thought of Nate, just as the lighting bolt had buzzed sharply into the side of his older friend's hair. Cody had never thought he would ever have to actually utilise all the combat that Nate had taught him, least of all against Drew, just the same as he never thought he would ever meet someone so incredibly amazing - and then lose them just as quickly.

Max watched Cody intently as his attention was supposedly going off on a tangent and tenderly licked her lips, "Where has all this anger come from?" she asked, echoing Carey's words, "We just want to help you, Cody."

Though Cody wished that he was able to answer Max's question and explain why he was filled with so much erupting rage, the younger twin's glaring eyesight fell swiftly upon his friends, causing the three Boston teens to heave a breath in surprise, "Help me?" Cody reiterated in astonishment, "You mean in the same way that Bob and Barbara hooked up behind my back the second that I was gone?"

Bob jeered in deep offence. "That's not fair, Cody," Barbara argued.

"And you think that any of this that's happened to me is fair?" Cody disputed, "My brother is missing, I'm hundreds of miles away from my girlfriend, I'm not talking to my dad, my mum's trying to convince me that everything's normal and now you guys have the audacity to call yourselves my real friends?"

A sharp silence fell between the group as Cody slowly began to walk backwards, his breathing still heavy while he took in each of the hurt expressions that were staring hard back at him, "How often did I even get a phone call from any of you guys?"

Max merely rolled her eyes indifferently at the insult, "Cody, look, we know you've lost the person who was pretty much your best friend, but - "

"No!" Cody interjected sternly. He froze and blinked away another warm, salty tear from his eye, "My best friend isn't lost or missing. He's dead."

A confused and mystified persona expanded amongst the silence as Barbara clenched tightly onto Bob's hand and Max raised a suspicious eyebrow, "But… I thought you were, like, convinced that Zack was - "

"I'm not talking about Zack," Cody croaked, interrupting his friend for a second time as the depressing illustration of Nate painfully flew across his mind.

As he then exchanged a final glance between he and his former companions, Cody swallowed harshly and wished silently to himself that they could simply begin to fathom just how miraculous a best friend Nate had been to him. How much he had taught him and supported him through his lowest possible moments. But as the realisation of just how impossible that was continued to seep through the younger twin's soul, as well his ever-growing grief and anguish for his best friend, Cody merely wiped his eyes and then did the only thing he could think of doing. He ran.

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**Hello everybody! Who missed me? :)**

**So... it seems Cody isn't exactly having a happy time being back in Boston, and he is still as sure as ever that Zack is alive. What will happen next?, Where is he running to?, Will he get to speak to Bailey or Kurt again?, And, is Zack actaully alive? So many questions...**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as well as Nate's tips allowing Cody to thump Drew in the mouth. I certainly did :) Reviews are much appreciated :) Be well guys, till next time!**

**Reneyyyyyyyyy x.**


	20. Breathe Again

'I will never regret,  
No, no,  
I will never forget,  
No, no,  
I will live my life,  
No, no, no, no!'  
**_Closer to the Edge - 30 Seconds to Mars._**

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**Chapter Twenty - Breathe Again.**

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The late afternoon sun was shining down brightly onto him where he lay as it disappeared behind the tall skyscrapers. Cody could feel it as it was beginning to burn his face. His body was shaking with stubborn sobs and his eyes stung from the salty, warm tears that were slowly falling. The severe weight of all of his emotions had Cody lying down on a bench in a park somewhere, but he had no real idea where he was. That simply may have been because he had been paying zero attention to where he was going, or maybe because his body had pushed him to run to someplace that he didn't recognise.

Taking in a deep breath, Cody dared to sit up and take in his surroundings. As he wiped away the dry tears clinging to his face, the younger twin sighed in relief at the fact that there were hardly any people in the park to bare witness to the fragile mess he has collapsed into. He also did in fact recognise where he was and knew the quickest path to get home. Once he decided he was willing to do so, of course.

Heaving another despondent sigh, Cody's eyesight loomed down to his throbbing hand and the trickling blood that stained his knuckles. Despite the intense anger and sadness that he could feel bubbling in his stomach, Cody couldn't help but smile at the thought of the genuine panic that had lined Drew's entire exterior when he had received four year's worth of frustrations in the form of a punch in the mouth. While he wished he could have laid out on him a lot more than what he had, the mere singular connection that he had made with his long time bully gave Cody all the satisfaction in the world. Especially since Drew had the pure audacity to make a joke out of Zack's disappearance.

Thinking back to the confrontation between he, Drew and his friends, Cody suddenly found himself very angry again. It annoyed him that their attempts to make him feel better had only been genuine until they were introduced to the new side of him that had developed during his time in L.A. Did that mean that they weren't ever really his friends? In all fairness, Cody knew that he and Zack hadn't exactly gone out of their way to keep in contact with their Boston friends while they had been on the ship either, but even so, the younger twin was yet to hear any word of Max or Bob or Barbara offering any help in trying to find he and Bailey when they had run off with Nate and Ty. They had to have known – surely. But where was their help?

Cody then abruptly snapped out of his trance as he felt his mobile phone vibrate harshly in his pocket. He rolled his eyes, hoping that it wasn't Carey trying to call him for about the five-hundredth time that afternoon. A juxtaposing image of Bailey suddenly flew through his mind as he hastily raked through the pocket of his jeans and retrieved his phone, only to feel his heart drop in discontent to see that it was Kurt calling him.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Cody groaned in annoyance and flipped open his phone, "Before you even start, it doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing, ok?" he spat with venomous resentment.

Kurt was instantly taken aback, "Cody – "

"And I don't care how much trouble I'm in, either, just – "

"Cody, stop!" Kurt bellowed down the phone, "None of that matters, ok? Forget about that for a minute." Cody frowned as Kurt paused for a moment. "Son, are you _ok_?"

Feeling his breath hitch in his throat, Cody's frown deepened at the anxious tone in his father's voice, "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine, Dad."

"Good," Kurt spoke in relief, "Look, your mum's worried sick about you. She thinks you've run off again."

Cody almost laughed at Carey's extreme paranoia, "I wouldn't put you guys through that a second time."

"I know," Kurt assured him, "But Mum's not so easily convinced. Cody, just go home to her. Please."

Sniffling to himself, Cody wiped his eyes again and mentally kicked himself. Hadn't he and Kurt only been ripping each other to shreds the night before? The younger twin sat in pure amazement that even after all that he had said to his dad, Kurt was still truly concerned about Cody and whether he was ok.

"Ok, Dad, I'm going now."

Cody smiled as Kurt sighed happily again, "Good. And, son?"

"Yeah?"

"If you need to talk to me about _anything_ at _anytime_, you just call me, ok?"

A sharp pain of guilt coursed through Cody's veins, "Ok. Thanks." The younger twin paused and shamefully pushed his hand through his hair. There was nothing that could ever erase the emotions of sheer rage that had filled Cody when Kurt had said that he didn't believe him or that Zack was still alive, but after losing his brother, Bailey, Nate and his Boston friends, there was no way in hell that Cody was going to let his dad slip through his fingers, too. "I'm sorry, Dad. For everything. I love you."

Cody could almost envision the smile that stretched across Kurt's face as he replied; "I love you, too, Cody."

After saying their goodbyes to one another, Cody hung up his phone and slipped it back into his pocket before collapsing into the back of the park bench and heaving an unwilling breath. While the conversation with Kurt had doubtless lifted his spirits, even in the slightest, there was still a reluctance that Cody didn't want to face. He may have known how to get back to the hotel. And he may have told Kurt that he would go home. But that didn't mean he wanted to.

* * *

Walking past Norman the doorman and through the doors of the Tipton hotel, Cody froze and took a moment to take in his environment. In all of the days, months and years that he had spent there, Cody had never really noticed how big and spacious the hotel was. Then again, that may have been because there was a huge gap in the hotel's character without Zack being there.

The early evening breeze followed Cody through the front doors and icily raced up his spine as he made his way across the intricately designed carpet towards the two elevators. Ignoring the feeling he had that everyone who he knew was staring at him, Cody pushed the 'up' button and patiently waited before the double doors parted in front of him. His breath suddenly caught in the back of his throat as he took a step back and allowed London to walk out, the heiress' deep, brown eyes glaring at him.

Leaning back timidly on the stair rail, Cody looked down to the floor, "Hey, London."

London folded her arms against her chest, unimpressed, "Cody, right? I wouldn't know, I haven't seen you for a while."

Cody cringed, "Come on, London, don't make me feel any worse than I already do." A short silence fell between the two friends, "My mum told me you were helping a lot. Trying to find Bailey and I, or whatever. You must have been worried."

"Worried?" London repeated with a scoff, "Please, I just needed something to take my mind off the fact that all my clothes and purses and matching belts sunk to the bottom of the ocean. I was only left with my _shoe sub_."

A small grin crept across Cody's face, "Ouch."

It wasn't long until the smile fell from his face as another wave of raw guilt washed over the younger twin, "I am sorry, though, London."

Shaking off the thought, London simply smiled softly at Cody as she began back on her way through the lobby, "It's Carey you should be apologising to. While you were gone, I was the one trying to make her feel better," London said, stopping to hesitate, "I think I'll go ask Moesby if there's some kind of surgery I can have to get my 'compassion' removed."

Cody's lips parted in a genuine laugh as he watched London intently while she continued on her way towards Mr. Moesby's desk. As a final thought glided through Cody's mind, he brain surged in trivial indecision before he licked his lips and called the heiress back to him, "Hey, London?"

Turning around, London frowned at the expression of deep contemplation on Cody's face as she walked back over to him.

Allowing the moment to sit for a second or two, Cody opened his mouth, "You believe me, right?"

Seemingly taken back a little by the question, London looked away and bit down on her bottom lip in uncertainty, wavering over her answer. Eventually, she looked back to Cody to find that he was about to explode from the breath he was holding in the pit of his lungs and merely shrugged her shoulders, "You always did have more smarticles than me."

Before another word could be spoken between them, or Cody had the opportunity to act on the beaming smile that had emitted across his face, London hurried off across the lobby and, finding that Moesby wasn't at his desk, vanished into his office and out of sight.

With his morale now on an even greater high, Cody then turned around and made his way back towards the elevator, stepping in between the double doors as they parted before him. Just as he was about to give the chaotic thoughts in his mind the chance to relax, the younger twin's eyes rapidly widened as he sensed his phone going off in his pocket again.

Much to his own surprise, the very first idea that hit him was that there was something wrong with Carey and she or Kurt were calling to tell him so, but instead, Cody sighed in relief to see that he had only received a text message from Woody.

The words that stared back at him when he opened it made his heart swell with happiness.

_Heard you're back. Hope you're ok… just to let you know, I've never had to eat so much comfort food in my entire life! I'm not mad or anything, London and me were just really worried. Sorry about everything that's happened. I'll talk to you later. Woody._

As much as Cody wanted to text a reply, he quickly realised that he had no idea what he should say, or what Woody deserved to hear. Deciding to leave it till later, the younger twin put his phone back in his pocket and leaned his head against the elevator wall, thinking.

A mere couple of hours ago, Cody had been seriously questioning whether he had any real friends other than Nate at all, and while he didn't regret saying that his old group of peers from Cheevers High were never really his true friends, what he did feel repentant for was overlooking the genuine closeness he had with London, Woody and everyone else from the ship.

The group of people that he had spent the past year and half of his life with had all met on the S.S. Tipton for the same reason – to have an adventure beyond any of their wildest dreams and to make new friendships that would last a lifetime. And that's exactly what Cody and Zack had both done. He felt like an idiot. Not only had Cody sent an immense fear through all those who he cared about the precise second that he had left the L.A. Tipton, but he also dared to even consider that those relationships he had developed on the ship weren't real or true. Cody promised himself that he would never make that mistake again – that while he didn't regret the actions he took in order to be reunited with his brother, he would never again forget how much he valued the friendships he shared with all those from the S.S. Tipton.

Now, he only hoped that rebuilding a relationship with Carey would be just as easy.

* * *

A nervous gasp escaped Cody's lips and his heart skipped a beat as he reached the door to room 2330 and heard Carey yelp out in pain, sobbing. Without a second's thought, or a single notion towards his own safety, he ripped open the front door and raced into the suite, stopping in sadness to see Carey merely trying to cut some vegetables in the kitchen, blood streaming from her finger and tears cascading down her face.

"Mum…" Cody whispered gently, walking over to her, "Mum, come on."

Carey looked up at Cody, red-rimmed misery coating her eyes, "I can't do anything right!"

Trying to keep his emotions intact, Cody gingerly approached Carey, took the kitchen knife from her hand and placed it down on the counter before tenderly wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace. Instantly, a wave of fresh tears exploded from Carey and dampened Cody's shirt as the younger twin continued to shush her and stroke her back.

After what felt like an eternity of a silent, shaking close hug, Cody sighed against Carey's shoulder, wriggled out of her grip and then wordlessly walked over to the medicine cabinet in search of a band-aid for her finger. Carey watched, eyebrow raised, as Cody applied the plaster without making a single noise or showing a single emotion.

Eventually, he placed the wrapper in the bin and turned back to his mother, licking his lips, "Better?"

Carey wiped her eyes, nodding her head, "Thanks, baby," she spoke mutely, "Where have you been?"

Cody shrugged, "Out. Just needed to clear my head," he paused and looked at Carey with imploring eyes, "I'm sorry about everything, Mum. What I said – you being like Dad. I didn't mean it."

"I know. It's ok," Carey assured him. She then brushed her brown hair out of her eyes as she tried to ignore the awkward silence that had fallen between them, "So, where did you go? Did you see anybody?"

Cody nodded, "Max. Bob and Barbara. But we had an argument."

Observing in confusion as Cody uneasily twiddled his thumbs, Carey's eyes suddenly expanded to the size of saucers at the sight of her son's bloody knuckles, "What happened to you?"

As Cody looked up in perplexity, Carey marched over to the younger twin and grabbed his hand, "Your hand, where did this blood come from?"

"I got into a fight," Cody answered simply, tearing his hand away from Carey's grasp, "With that kid Drew from Cheevers."

"Well, are you ok?" Carey asked frantically.

"I'm fine, Mum. He never even touched me."

Carey's jaw abruptly dropped as she shook her head at her son's behaviour, "Well no wonder you got into an argument with your friends. There's no way they can understand this new you."

"Well, gee, that's understandable," Cody sniped in blatant sarcasm, "I suppose they'd be an animal too if they were at the same all time low that I'm at."

The tone in Cody's voice caused Carey to wince in a twinge of pain, "I don't want to get into another fight with you, Cody. I just don't know what to do to make you feel better."

Immediately opening his mouth to snap another sharp reply, Cody's line of argument soon fell flat. It soon dawned on him that he had no idea what to say. He didn't want to argue with Carey, either, but it was almost like without a heated dispute backing him up, he had absolutely no clue what he was really trying to say.

As this thought continued to revolve through his mind, Cody slowly backed up and took a seat on the lounge, holding his head in his hands for a few brief seconds before looking back up at Carey. The hotel singer waited, certain that her son was going to say something, but soon found herself creeping towards him and taking her place next to him as he remained silent.

"What are you thinking, baby?"

The room lingered on quietness for another few moments as Cody asked himself the same question. What was he thinking? While he wasn't exactly too sure, he had a _feeling_ that he was about to delve into the depths of a mass of thoughts that he hadn't dared to even skim over in what seemed like a lifetime.

"I'm always there again," Cody began softly, "Back there. That night on the Sky Deck. It was so crowded. There was a cool breeze and the boat was rocking. I was looking for Zack and I found him at the juice bar, putting his jacket on just as he was shutting up. We had had a fight about… something _so_ stupid. I was mad at him because I'd taken the blame for something he did and Moesby grounded me when I was meant to be going on a date with Bailey. So stupid…"

Carey nodded her head, already sensing the tears that were pooling in her eyes at Cody's recollection of the array of memories and feelings that had been tearing him apart from the inside-out for the past six days.

"I was apologising to him," he went on, "for being such a jerk. I'd said some really awful things to him. His expression was completely blank, though, like… he didn't care. But then I swear I saw his face soften. He was going to forgive me, I know he was. But then he took a step back. We heard and felt this huge roar from beneath us. The boat started to rumble… I _almost_ had him. I _touched_ him. We only skimmed fingertips, but it was the most incredible sensation in the whole world."

Cody was shaking and fidgeting as a fresh set of warm tears began to roll down his cheeks, "I still remember what the last thing was he said to me, I mean… other than him yelling my name to help him. He said that it was like _I_ had said; we're not going to spend every day of the rest of our lives around each other."

Cody wiped his eyes and sobbed out a cynical bark of laughter, "Freakin' irony, huh?"

At a lack of knowing what else there was to say or do, Carey soothingly rubbed Cody's back as he willingly prolonged.

"It's like… all I want to do is sit around and think about stuff we used to do together, you know, look at photos or watch old home movies, or whatever. Anything to remind me of him and when he was – "

"Still alive?" Carey interjected, cringing when Cody turned his head and shot her a glare of almighty, boiling anger.

"When he was still _here_," he corrected harshly. In the next instant, Cody stood up from the lounge and began to stride hastily towards his and Zack's bedroom.

"Cody, wait," Carey called, "When I spoke to your dad before he said that were sounding a lot happier."

"Yeah, Mum, but that doesn't mean I'm still not falling apart a little more each day without Zack here," Cody contradicted, reaching for his door handle.

"Well, just think about your brother, he wouldn't want you feeling this way. Zack never let anything get to him so much that it would completely change him."

Shoving his bedroom door open with all the strength he could gather, Cody clapped his eyes shut tightly and calmly allowed another surge of rage to calmly past through him without releasing it, and then turned back to Carey with a deep breath held in and coolly opened his mouth to speak, "Stop talking about him in past tense," he said before quietly receding into his room, "Please."

* * *

Cody's heart pounded with light anticipation in his chest as he stood over Zack's bed. He had lost all track of what time it was, hadn't eaten anything, of course, and hadn't spoken to Carey since their last semi-argument.

With a couple of slow steps, Cody was soon at the foot of Zack's bed before he carefully climbed onto it and sat down, his legs crossed. A wave of sudden closeness to his brother washed over him as he sat there, trying his absolute hardest to convince himself that he still wasn't going insane. Could he seriously be blamed or labeled crazy for wanting to feel that special connection he held with Zack again? Everyone that he had spoken to besides Carey had some level of understanding or belief over him, anyway. Did that mean they were all crazy, too?

Shaking off the thought, Cody sighed and grasped Zack's bedspread between his fingers. He still remembered the countless times when they were little where Zack would roll up his camouflage pillow case, wrap it around his head, apply war-paint to his face and then bombard Cody with one of his toy guns. It was memories as fresh and strong as that which told Cody that he had to be right about Zack surviving the capsize.

Looking up to his own side of their room, Cody frowned as the only words that appeared to mind were 'plain', 'boring' and 'nerdy'. No wonder Zack couldn't stand to be around him half the time, he thought to himself.

No, the only thing that was crazy or insane was the fact that the twins were so completely different, but Cody still loved Zack more than anything in the world.

With a dull smile on his face, Cody reached over to Zack's side-table and grabbed his own cell phone, checking for about the millionth time to see if Bailey had tried to call him. She was about the only person involved in the chaos of the past six days that Cody hadn't spoken to, and while he understood entirely that she more than likely needed this precious time to catch up with her beloved family, the whole thing still confirmed the younger twin's previous thoughts that the friends he had made on the ship were the greatest he could ever ask for.

Cody suddenly snapped out of his trance as he heard the phone in the lounge room ring a few times before Carey answered it. He guessed that it was probably Kurt ringing up to check and see if he was ok. The idea of this brought a wider smile across Cody's face before his thoughts fell back on his brother.

Obviously, he had no plausible clue when or where he was going to see Zack again, but one thing he did know was that when he did, he would tell him what he should have said those six days ago up on the Sky Deck.

He was sorry. And he loved him.

"Oh my God!"

Snapping his head up at the sound of Carey's voice, Cody leapt off of Zack's bed and bolted into the lounge room, coming face to face with the image of Carey collapsed into a sitting position on the lounge holding her heart.

"Mum? What?"

"And you're sure?"

"Mum?"

"There's no doubt?"

"Mum!"

Carey's eyes swiftly gazed up and fixed themselves sharply onto Cody. She swore with every inch of her being that she could see his heart thumping at a million miles a minute in the back of his throat.

"It's… Cody, it's…"

Without saying another word, Carey leaned forward and pressed the 'speaker' button on the phone receiver. Nervously creeping towards it, Cody forced himself to hold in all emotion as he coarsely cleared his throat, "Hello?"

There was a short pause before a friendly, female voice echoed through the receiver and into the suite, "You must be Cody."

Deciding to skip the small talk, Cody opened his mouth to speak again, "You're a nurse, or something, aren't you?"

"Yes," the voice replied, "My name is Michelle Clarke. I'm calling about your brother, Zack."

Cody felt his heart drop to his stomach as he whimpered in anticipated fear.

"Cody, I've just told your mother," she began as Cody dropped to his knees by the phone, his hands shaking and his throat stinging with each sobbing breath he took.

_I'm not insane, I'm not insane, I'm not insane, I'm not – _

"Zack was found by the employees of our small, rural hospital on the coast of California. We had no way of finding out who he was until now. He's just woken up. Cody, your bother's alive."

Sensing his whole system come to a complete standstill, Cody froze, repeating the words he had just heard in his head. _Cody, your bother's alive._

In the next moment, Cody leapt up from the floor and yelled out in pure ecstasy, freely allowing the tears of happiness to pour from his eyes. He retched onto his arm and twisted his skin just to make sure he wasn't dreaming before yelling out again, "I told you! I told you Zack was alive!"

Each word that rolled off his tongue sent his heart soaring to a new high as Carey then collected him in her arms and Cody released an amount of tears coated with the most authentic happiness he had ever felt in his entire life.

"I know, Cody, I know. I'm so sorry, baby," Carey kept saying over and over again.

Cody whimpered again in total bliss and wiped his face, revealing the colossal smile hiding beneath his exterior. He head was spinning. His heart was pounding. He felt like he was going to pass out but didn't want to risk waking up to find that this was all some sick fantasy. Zack was alive. Zack was alive – and Cody had never felt more amazingly and indescribably exultant in his whole life.

"Ms. Martin," the voice of Nurse Clarke boomed, suddenly resonating back through the suite, "Ms. Martin, there is a problem, though."

The younger twin's heart stopped all over again.

"What?" Cody barked, "What? What problem?"

"It's nothing to get overly concerned about," Clarke continued, "It's just that, when Zack woke up there wasn't much that he remembered. He knew the name of all his family and friends and that he had been going to school on the S.S. Tipton, but that's it. He didn't remember anything about the capsize at all."

"So, what does that mean?" Cody spat, "Is he going to be ok? What's going to happen to him? What if – "

"What are you trying to tell us, Nurse?" Carey interjected, ceasing Cody's rambles as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Zack was out for a long time, and from what we can gather, he's also inhaled a hell of a lot of ocean water," Clarke went on, "We have no idea how Newberry's doctors could have missed him, but by the time we found him, he was lucky to still be breathing."

The sheer concept of his brother floating aimlessly and breathlessly out in the ocean somewhere sent an electric shiver up Cody's spine.

"We are worried about how much water Zack may have swallowed as well as the fact that he had no immediate memory. It's our recommendation that he see our hospital's best neurologist to see if there's anything wrong."

"Well, of course," Carey answered the nurse, "Do whatever you have to. Cody and the boy's dad and myself will be there as soon as possible."

"That's the thing, however, Ms. Martin. Doctor Greenburg – our neurologist – isn't in California. He's on business inter-state, so we'll have to wait until we're sure Zack will be ok to travel in one of the larger hospital's private jets."

Cody and Carey both wore simultaneous frowns as the younger twin dared to ask the obvious question, "Well, where is he?"

Another dead silence filled the blissful suite as Michelle Clarke cleared her throat, "Kansas."

* * *

**Ok, quick show of hands: Who at any point in this story ever doubted me?, two, four, six, ALL OF YOU :)**

**So, my guess would be that everyone is either really happy that Zack's alive, or really annoyed that I managed to keep it from you for this long :) And now after Cody's rebuilt a relationship with all those who matter, he gets to go to Kansas and see Bailey again, too! Any guesses at how that will go, or more importantly, how will Zack and Cody's long awaited reunion go?**

**I'm almost as excited as you guys are :) Remember to review! Thanks heaps guys, till next time!**

**Reneyyyyyyyy x.**


	21. Sensational

'I dreamed I was missing  
You were so scared  
But no-one would listen  
'Cause no-one else cared.  
After my dreaming  
I woke with this fear  
What am I leaving  
When I'm done here?'  
**_Leave Out All The Rest - Linkin Park._**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One - Sensational.**

* * *

_One ring. Two rings. Three. An answer on the fourth._

"_Hello?"_

"_Dad?"_

_Kurt's eyes widened in surprise as he heard his son's voice echo down the phone, "Cody?"_

"_I need you."_

* * *

Now, Cody sat still and silent on London's private jet between Carey and Kurt with London and Moesby opposite them on their way to Kansas - what was now seven nights worth of sleepless, grief-ridden anticipation thumping in his heart at a million miles a minute.

Cody hadn't spoken a single word. His mood and emotions hadn't altered in the slightest. All he could do - and had done for the whole night - was stay awake, thriving on the pure adrenalin that had completely taken over his entire body the second he had discovered that he had been right all along and that Zack was alive. It was the most indescribable feeling that he had ever succumb to.

On top of that, of course, was the thought of getting to see Bailey again.

Contrary to popular belief, Zack had certainly done some nice things for his brother in the past. Some amazing things, actually. But of all those things, bringing him back to Bailey was by far the sole thing that Cody would be forever grateful for. And he was sure to tell Zack that, too.

The amount of apologies that Cody had received in the last twelve hours was totally uncanny. _He_ knew that he was right, that was all that really counted, as well as Bailey and - so he suspected - London. He didn't need to hear it from anyone else, especially those who hadn't believed him in the first place. But for now, all that mattered was seeing Zack. Seeing him safe and, hopefully, predominantly unharmed.

As the seatbelt light flashed on and those around him quietly buckled themselves in, Cody inhaled a deep breath and gradually followed suit.

His eyelids were heavy. His stomach was nearing on completely empty. His legs were so wobbly that he thought if he stood up they would collapse from underneath him. His head was throbbing to the beat of an excruciating headache. But even through all of that, Cody didn't regret a single one of the long days or restless nights he spent worrying about Zack. Although, it _was_ going to feel good to finally be able to sleep that night.

* * *

"Cody, wait!"

The younger twin heard Carey calling after him, but he didn't stop running. Kurt's voice soon joined in the chase, but Cody kept pounding his feet against the ground at full speed until he made it to the doors of Kansas State Hospital. He was panting with a mixture of exhaustion and tremendous anticipation thumping heavily in his chest as he barged through the double glass doors and allowed his eyes to frantically scan the hospital lobby.

"Cody? Cody Martin?" he suddenly heard a delicate voice call to him. Cody spun around as his eyes fell upon the image of a tall, blonde woman walking towards him. She had a soft face, friendly, blue eyes and looked to be in her thirties. The younger twin had instantly recognised her voice as the nurse he had spoken to over the phone the previous night.

"Nurse Clarke, right?" Cody asked as the woman made her approach. She smiled at him and offered her hand for the younger twin to shake.

"That's right. It's so nice to finally meet you."

Cody frowned, "How did you know who I was, like, how did you recognise me?"

A soft smile stretched across Michelle's face, "You look exactly like your brother."

The mere mention of Zack made Cody's heart skip a beat. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself as another questioning thought suddenly sprung to his mind, "Wait, not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing out here, anyway? Didn't you call my mum and I last night from your hospital in California?"

"I flew out here with Zack to keep an eye on him," she answered sweetly, "I wanted to make sure he was okay."

"Why, is there anything I should be worried about?" Cody spat with sudden anxiety.

"Oh, no," Michelle replied in reassurance, "Zack's fine, we're just waiting on the results from our neurologist."

Cody felt his heart slow back to its regular pace, however, his nerves were still jittering throughout his body like a constant wave of electricity was coursing painfully through his veins. Nothing was going to set his mind and body at ease until he laid eyes on Zack.

"Well, where is he? Can I see him?"

The younger twin felt his expression drop as Michelle looked hesitant, "Please," he begged her, "I _have_ to see him."

Michelle turned away slightly as the imploring look in Cody's eyes was quickly becoming too much to bear, but soon breathed a sigh of relief as she heard who she could only assume to be Carey Martin calling Cody's name.

"Cody!" she repeated, closely being followed by Kurt. Reluctantly spinning around to face them, Cody's eyes suddenly widened in surprised delight as he was stunned to find that his parents weren't alone.

"Bailey!"

Carey and Kurt couldn't help but smile as Cody sprinted with all of his might towards the farm-girl who was yelling his name with just as much ecstasy as the two collected each other in their arms in a tight, squeezing embrace. As a few, soft tears began to gently slide down Bailey's cheeks, the two pulled back and gazed into each other's eyes, smiling, as they met in the most chaste of devoted kisses.

Eagerly licking his lips, Cody slowly detached himself from his Southern Belle and relocked his eyes with hers, "You came."

"Of course I did," Bailey answered instantly, "I mean, my parents weren't too happy about it, but nothing was going to stop me from being here for you, Cody. For you and Zack."

An elated grin crossed Cody's lips as he quickly pulled Bailey into another affectionate hug before turning back to Nurse Clarke. Michelle sighed in sadness as the overjoyed happiness in Cody's eyes was immediately replaced with the same gloomy desperation that had only moments ago been piercing through her core.

"Okay," she gave in with an unwilling groan, "I'll take you to see your brother. If you're sure."

"Of course he's sure," Carey interjected, jumping forward and placing a delicate hand on her son's shoulder. Cody froze and looked to the ground for a brief moment as a wave of hesitation cast over him in silence. After a second or two, Carey frowned in confusion as Cody shrugged away from her touch and grabbed Bailey's hand, timidly gazing up at his parents.

"Actually… I just want two minutes with him first, Mum. Dad. With Bailey."

An instant hurt dejection crossed Carey's face as Kurt stepped forward and took her by the arm, shooting Cody a questioning glance, "Do you really think that's fair, son?"

"Fair?" Cody repeated, "You mean as fair as it was for no-one to believe me about Zack in the first place?"

Almost instantly, the younger twin gritted his teeth at his own bitterness and took a breath to calm himself, "It's not like I'm saying I don't want you guys to see him at all. I just want two minutes. That's it."

Opening her mouth, Carey managed to croak out the beginning of a word before Kurt squeezed her arm to silence her and turned back to Cody.

There were a million different thoughts and arguments flying through Kurt's mind as he kept a hard gaze linked with the similar expression that Cody was shooting at him. However, there was one sole fact that was not allowing itself to be ignored by the boys' father. And that was the horrifying thought of all that Cody had been through. After all those dangerous and dismal nights without Zack, was it really too much to ask for a few moments alone with his girlfriend and his big brother? As Kurt smiled at Cody and nodded his head, he thought not.

Cody's heart rate immediately sped up as he mouthed 'thanks' to Kurt and forced himself to swallow a chunk of nerves that had taken instant occupancy in the back of his throat. He allowed an easy breath to release itself from between his lips as he felt the electricity of Bailey placing her hand in his, turning to her to quickly remind her that he loved her before the two slowly set off behind Nurse Clarke up the long, white corridor.

This was it. This was really it. Cody could already sense a fresh set of warm tears pricking the corner of his eyes at the shear anticipation of _finally_ being reunited with his brother. After everything he and Bailey had been through, everything and _everyone_ that they had lost, Cody could now feel his heart beating in time with the footsteps he took up the hall. A monotonous, rhythmic beat that was well in time with the beeping he heard echoing from the medical machines in the rooms surrounding him. It was a soothing, continual pulse. Until it shifted into a sudden change - a change from a continual pulse to a long, droning flatlined tone.

The younger twins' world slowed as half a dozen doctors and nurses rapidly sped past him towards one of the rooms a few metres up the corridor before, as he had grown accustomed to, Cody immediately expected the worst.

"Zack?" He murmured, dropping Bailey's hand and pushing past Michelle, "Zack!"

"Cody!" Michelle called to him, grabbing his shoulder as neared the room causing all the commotion, "Just relax."

The nurse's urging tone caused Cody to swallow calmly as he gazed through the window of the room and shuddered at the sight of the doctors trying to revive a middle-aged African-American man. He wasn't sure how many more shocks he was able to endure until he himself would require severe medical assistance, and this thought remained with him as he felt the gentle touch of Bailey's hand on his shoulder and heard Michelle brightly clear her throat.

"Relax," she continued, "and turn around."

Gazing up at Michelle with a bewildered look, Cody then slowly about-faced and glanced across to the glass window of the room opposite him. And his heart skipped a beat.

"Zack!"

His voice resonating throughout the entire hospital, Cody swiped at the instant tears that fell down his face and burst through the door to Zack's room, collapsing by his brother's bedside and simply staring in complete amazement at the peaceful, sleeping image of Zack Martin.

Zack's lips were still faintly blue. He was covered in a numerous amount of trivial cuts and bruises. His eyes had bold, dark circles underneath them. But he was pink in the cheeks, he was breathing without the help of any machinery, and he was alive. Just as Cody had always said.

"Zack.." the younger twin mumbled in absolute bliss, tracing his older brother's hairline with his forefinger. There was a desperate, gnawing urge in his stomach telling him to dive across the bed and collect him in a tight embrace, but Cody was all too scared that Zack was still too fragile from his traumatic accident to endure such raw affection.

Jumping a little bit, Cody willed his eyes away from Zack and glanced up at the sensation of Bailey's hand once again being placed on his shoulder. The younger twin smiled through his tear-stained face and locked his imploring vision with Bailey's beautiful blue eyes.

"He's okay."

Bailey nodded and choked back a gentle sob, "I knew he would be."

Still smiling from ear to ear, Cody turned back to Zack and placed the back of his hand against his brother's cheek, "He feels so cold."

"The doctors will be making sure he stays warm," Bailey assured her boyfriend, taking a seat in the chair next to his.

The icy feeling of Zack's skin caused Cody's eyes to narrow in pain as he was grudgingly sent back to the night on the ship which almost took his brother's life. The frosty wind had harshly whipped against his face and swirled the smoke from the explosion into his vision and his lungs. The memory was all too familiar, and the rotten, salty spray that had burst from the swash of the ocean and swallowed up Zack caused Cody to shiver in pure fear from the excruciating recollection. Looking at how serene and undisturbed his brother seemed now, Cody could hardly begin to even imagine how much pain Zack must have been in as he had been spiralling down into the unforgiving depths of the ocean.

Cody swallowed, "Do you think he was scared?"

Bailey blinked and nervously fiddled with the hem of her dress at the awkwardness of the question from her boyfriend, "I don't know, Cody…"

"Something?" the younger twin sharply added, "Anything?

Hesitating for a brief moment, Bailey soon shrugged her shoulders, "Wouldn't anyone be?"

Cody defiantly shook his head, "Not Zack. He's not afraid of anything."

Bailey sighed. There was no telling what effect this whole voyage was going to have on Zack - medically or emotionally. And the fact that Cody was sitting before her in total miracle mode without any single consideration that Zack may never be the same again only caused a harsh feeling of anxiety to pound aggressively in the back of Bailey's mind.

Gently moving her hand from his shoulder to his knee, Bailey took a deep breath in an attempt for Cody's own good to drum some common sense into his fantasy world, "Cody, he's not Superman."

The words from Bailey's lips instantly triggered another memory for Cody.

_I get it. Zack is… well, he's like Superman to you, isn't he?_

Nate.

_He's your hero, he's everything._

And he was. As much as Cody was happy to have his family and his girlfriend around him, there was nothing he wouldn't give to have Nate and his understanding words and way of thinking back, either. Nate just got it.

"He is to me.."

An immediate wave of guilt sweeping over her, Bailey simply sighed sadly to herself and leant over, kissing Cody on the cheek, "I'll give you guys a moment alone."

Cody merely kept his gaze on Zack, blinking in sync with the sound of the door shutting behind Bailey. Pushing any thought of Nate to the back of his mind, he refocused all his attention on his brother.

Stifling a long, exasperated sigh, Cody abruptly grabbed Zack's hand and sensed some further warm tears explode from his eyes, "Zack.." he choked out, "I'm so sorry, bro. I love you."

The last syllable from Cody's lips erupted on the end of a sad sob as he collapsed his head down on the side of the bed and purely allowed himself to do nothing but cry for the first time in a long time with no other strings attached. He was so deeply lost in his thoughts of how desperately he wanted this entire nightmare to be over and for Zack to wake up and to be okay that he barely even noticed when there was a sudden struggle from Zack's hand to be released.

"Codester?"

Shooting his head up, wide-eyed, Cody pinched himself and pleaded with any possible god or heavens above that this not be some sort of sick dream. He begged his voice box to come to life but the image before him of Zack sitting up and staring at him, awake and alive, was way too much to complete any kind of natural human function.

"What's happening bro?" the older twin croaked out with an incredibly raspy voice.

Cody blinked through the sweat building up on his face and managed to utter but one word, "..Zack?"

"Aw man," Zack went on, rubbing his forehead with his eyes shut tightly, "bro, I had the weirdest dream."

Further disbelief clouding the brink of Cody's thoughts, the younger twin slowly shook his head, completely mystified, "What… what are you talking about, Zack?"

As Zack nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into the pillow of his bed, Cody simply stared at him with extreme intent, failing to even begin to comprehend how his brother hadn't yet made any single mention of the ship or the accident or anything like that. It made no conceivable sense at all.

"It was so weird," Zack simply went on, still struggling to talk "I was just, like… lost, or something. I had no idea what was going on. Everything was just… black."

Trying to hold back even more reluctant tears, Cody felt the strings of his heart tug at his insides at the eerie accuracy of Zack's nightmare.

The older twin swallowed as he nervously glanced at his younger brother, "And you were really scared. Like, terrified, I could almost… sense it, or something. But no-one was listening to you. It was the craziest thing. And now, I just feel all… creepy on the inside. If that makes any sense."

"More than you know," Cody answered in an instant. Cautiously licking his lips, Cody took a deep breath, "Zack, what do you remember?"

Zack frowned, "Remember? What are you going on about, it was just a dream."

"Zack, look around," Cody suddenly interjected, watching his brother slowly gaze around, taking in his surroundings.

"Whoa," Zack went on, his eyes wide with uncertainty, "I'm in the hospital… hospital gown, that would explain the uncomfortable breeze."

Cody squinted his eyes, blinking again and holding back the laughter at Zack's typical jokester nature, all the while still resisting the urge to squeeze the life out of his brother in a tight hug, "You still don't remember anything, do you?" he then asked extremely tentatively.

There was a slight pause as, again, Zack slowly shook his head, "Nup."

Cody immediately felt his stomach tangle itself into a nervous knot as Zack continued to stare at him blankly, still seemingly unaware of the situation or the days of heartbreak endured by all those who he loved.

Despite all the terror that those days separated from Zack had caused the younger twin, Cody had never felt as petrified as he did then and there at the prospect of having to tell Zack about all that had happened to him. Mainly because he was frightened that the memories may not come back - that something may be wrong with his brother psychologically, but also because it meant that Zack would also be reminded of the fight he and Cody had fallen into on the ship before the accident had occurred. And Cody couldn't stand to lose his brother again.

"Zack…" the younger twin started again, choking on the seeping emotion building up in the back of his throat, "Zack, you gotta' remember, okay? The ship? The accident? There was an explosion and… you fell off the edge, but I couldn't reach you, I couldn't…"

With all his overly anticipated sensations of despondent feeling eventually breaking through, Cody was reduced back to miserable tears as he looked away from his twin, ashamed at the way he had treated Zack, how he had let him fall, and how he didn't even have to guts to face him now.

Tilting his head in pure and utter confusion, Zack simply licked his lips and, not knowing what else to do, stretched his hand out towards Cody's, "Bro? Cody, what's - "

Suddenly, as the older twin's fingertips skimmed his brother's, Zack froze as he felt his heart skip a beat. Impulsively, the sensation of Cody's hand against his own shot Zack back to the horrifying memory that he unwillingly allowed himself to succumb to as he was instinctively reintroduced to the image he had of Cody dangling his hand down towards him, clawing for his twin as Zack was slowly but surely being swallowed by the fierce swash of the ocean.

The older twin's eyes widened and he gasped in severe shock. It had all returned to him. The ship. The explosion. The accident. The incredible sensation of his brother's fingertips touching his. The raw, callous sea water that had filled his lungs. The strong salt that stung his eyes. The feeling that had overwhelmed him, telling him that his life was slipping away. The sadness that had besieged him at the thought of never seeing his loved ones ever again - even Cody, who he had only been arguing with moments beforehand. That's when his thoughts came to a sudden stop.

Shooting his twin an abrupt glare, Zack raked his hand away and folded his arms across his chest, causing to Cody to frown in bewilderment, "Zack? What is it, do you remember something?"

"Oh yeah," Zack croaked sharply, "I remember everything, Cody."

The younger twin's face beamed in the highest expectancy, "Oh thank God!" he cooed, "I was terrified there was going to be something wrong with you!"

"Really?" Zack snapped, watching the frown on his brother's face increase.

"Of course I was, Zack."

"Because I just find it a bit hard to believe," Zack went on, ignoring the genuine tone of Cody's voice, "seeing as you don't want to spend every day of the rest of your life anywhere near me."

Instantly, Cody's heart sank. The only thing he ever wanted was for Zack to safe, yes, but the only other thing that he had ever told himself was that it would all the more sweeter if his brother could somehow find it in his heart to forgive him. Though unfortunately, as Cody frantically searched for any kind of desperate argument within him, the scowl that lay across Zack's face told a different story.

"Zack," he choked out, "That's not what I said - well, not _exactly_, anyway… but, come on, bro, you know I didn't mean it, Zack, I - "

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" Zack interjected as loud as his dreadfully sore throat would allow him, "Just leave, okay?"

Cody's heart stopped, "No. No, Zack, this wasn't supposed to turn out this way, bro. I never meant for any of this to happen," he argued distraughtly, "This exact moment was supposed to reflect a miracle! Everyone's here to see you, Mum, Dad - "

"Well, good, go get them or something then," Zack persisted, "Something, anything, just… leave, Cody."

Feeling the weight of the world collapse on his shoulders in dire defeat, Cody swallowed and harshly scraped at his tear stained eyes, mumbling out his brother's name once more, only to endure a sensation similar to being shot in the stomach as Zack turned away and sighed in antipathy at the recollection of his brother's vindictive words.

As he reluctantly stood up and wiped his face yet again, Cody heaved a heavy breath at the feeling of his bottom lip trembling miserably. Pushing the door to Zack's room open, Cody glanced back and gazed intently at the upset and offended expression that graced his twin's face, silently cursing himself over and over again - because even though his brother was breathing, alive and well, Cody simply couldn't shake the feeling of pure disgust and hatred in himself for being the sole course of the pain that was probably just as much as Zack would have experienced if he was dead.

* * *

**..Um.. hello :) For those of you who are wondering who this random person is who has popped up wth an update in your inbox, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Reney.. I'm pretty slack with my updates, and don't have much of an excuse. Before we analyse this chapter, let me catch you guys up on what's been happening with me :) I turned eighteen and celebarted at a casino (seriously!), I graduated high school last week and am now preparing to move three hours away from home to go to Uni :D But, yes, none of which are excuses for making you guys wait for this chapter for so long.. You'll forgive me, I'm sure :)**

**OHMYGOSH, ZACK'S ALIVE! How does that make everyone feel? But will he forgive Cody about their argument? I happen to think he's being quite immature, but I suppose you guys will have to wait and see what happens next :) Although, I'm not saying anything about how long that update may take... :)**

**Pleeease review kindly :) I hope all you guys are doing well, and it feels aweeeeesome to be updating for you :) :)**

**Reneyyyyyyyyyyy x**


	22. Not Ever

'So if by the time the bar closes  
And you feel like falling down  
I'll carry you home  
Tonight.'  
_**We Are Young - FUN.**_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two - Not Ever.  
**

* * *

The monotonous ticking of the clock that hung on the wall before him was beginning to drive Cody utterly insane. Tremendous sentiments of disgust and abhorrence were still brewing uneasily in the depths of his stomach as each blink of his eyes seemed like another lifetime that had gone by without his twin forgiving him, when in reality, Zack had only banished Cody from his hospital room no more than about an hour ago.

The twins' parents were in there with him now, along with Bailey, London and Moesby. The mere thought of the beautiful, reuniting family moment that was taking place without him made Cody cringe in dire misery and dejection. The younger twin's mind was a whirlwind of dizzy thoughts having gone from the emotions of blissful, elated happiness to total despair and sorrow in a matter of minutes after being brought back together with his brother. And now he wasn't even sure if he would ever feel that kind of joyful happiness ever again.

There were a lot of moments from these past however many nights it was now that Cody regretted. He regretted attempting to leave the L.A. Tipton in search of Zack without taking Bailey with him. The sheer notion of her almost getting run over on the day of their confrontation with Damon and Jase made him feel sick to his stomach. He still felt emotions of embarrassment for physically lashing out at Brayden over the hatred he had for his brother. Still to this day, he cursed himself every second of every minute of each day for ever trusting or believing anything Ty had ever said. And, perhaps more obviously, it still broke his heart to think about any possible way that he might have been able to save Nate's life. Yes, Cody had a hell of a lot of regrets. But none more so than the seemingly harmless words that he had spoken to Zack on the day of the accident. Because now, after everything he had seen, endured and lived through, Cody couldn't ever picture his life without his twin.

"Coffee, Cody?"

Snapping out of his deep trance, Cody glanced up at the chirpy image of London skipping towards him with Moesby closely following. As she made her eventual approach, London only tilted her head in confusion as Cody simply sighed and glanced back down at his feet. Sharply groaning to herself, London rolled her eyes.

"So now you've gone back to being silent?" she asked in disbelief.

"London, leave him alone," Moesby coerced from the sidelines.

"No," London objected, "He's got nothing to be upset about."

Cody swallowed harshly and gawked back up at the heiress, "London, he won't even talk to me!"

"Yeah, well, at least he's alive."

An instant silence immediately took over the three as Cody simply stared, his mouth agape, not unlike Mr. Moesby's, at the rare yet insightful words that sang from the heiress' lips.

The younger twin wanted to kick himself. He wasn't quite sure what was worse. The fact that he had been just about ready to give up on Zack while he was alive, when the notion had never once crossed his mind at the time when everyone else around him thought that his brother was dead; or that it took London, of all people, to point that out to him.

"So, no coffee then?"

With these thoughts of gratefulness still spiralling in his mind, Cody merely smiled and shook his head, "No, I'm okay," he spoke, pausing for a brief moment, "Thanks, London."

With a ditzy nod of her head, London merely smiled once more before happily bouncing off down the corridor, Moesby close on her heels with his proud gaze still intently fixed upon her.

In the next instant, Cody came crashing back to reality, as he sighed to himself and continued to search his brain for a solution to make Zack want to talk to him again. There had to something - anything that he could at least try. Because at this stage, after everything he and Zack had been through, and especially since his twin was completely safe and unharmed, there was no way in hell Cody was going to let him go. Not now, and not ever.

Suddenly, Cody jumped in surprise as the door to Zack's room swung open, a beaming smile appearing on his face at the sight of his beautiful Southern Belle. Without any other single thought stopping him, Cody pushed everything to the back of his mind as he leapt out of his chair and approached Bailey, giving her a small peck on the cheek.

"How is he?" he then asked in desperation.

Bailey smiled softly, "He's fine," she reassured the younger twin, "The neurologist just came in and told us that there's very little to no damage to his brain. Just a couple of nasty bumps and bruises on the base of his skull. He's going to be okay."

Breathing a blissful sigh of relief, Cody draped his arm around Bailey's shoulders, squeezing her tightly, and perhaps for a moment, even forgetting that Zack was still mad at him. His brother had the all clear - he was officially going to pull through as if nothing had ever happened. And at that particular point in time, that was all that mattered to Cody.

"Uh, sweetie?" Bailey groaned through the stiff grip that Cody had around her neck.

Cody blinked in confusion for a brief moment before he let out an embarrassed "Oh!" and then let go of the farm girl, smiling cheekily as she caught her breath. "Sorry, Bails," he exclaimed, "Just happy that Zack's okay." The smile soon fell from the younger twin's face, "Now I just gotta' get him to talk to me again…"

"Well allow me to be the bearer of even _more _good news," Bailey eluded, flashing her pearly whites and reaching her hand out to take Cody's, "Your mum and dad are just about to come out of Zack's room and he told me to tell you that he wants to speak to you."

Cody's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"

"Really," Bailey confirmed, nodding her head. She fell to a moment of silence as she then bit her lip, "He's got some… questions he wants to ask you."

"Referring to what, exactly?" Cody asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

Bailey sighed, squeezing Cody's hand, "Well, it was unfair that he was giving you the cold shoulder like that, Cody. Your parents and I just told him that you've been through more in the past few days then he could ever imagine."

The younger twin felt his jaw drop, "You didn't tell him about all of that, did you?"

"No," Bailey immediately spat. She trailed off for a second or two, "All we told him was that he may want to give you a little bit of a break. And ask you exactly how far you were willing to go to get him back."

Cody remained frozen in silence. He allowed what Bailey had told him to revolve through the spiraling cogs in his mind that were whizzing around at about a million miles an hour.

There wasn't a single day that had gone by when he hadn't thought about what he was going to say to Zack once they were reunited – how much he would apologise, exactly what he was going to say, how he was going to swear to never, _ever _say anything like that to hurt his brother again. But at that moment, knowing that Zack was going to ask him to explain every single scrutinizing detail of Cody's unfortunate adventure, the younger twin didn't have the slightest clue about what he was possibly going to say.

"Cody?"

Snapping out of his deep trance, Cody allowed his hazy eyes to fall back upon the image of Bailey, which had now been increased with the added figures of both his mother and his father standing in the doorway to Zack's room.

Taking a deep breath, Cody felt his heart cease up and skip a beat as Carey beckoned him to come forward and enter through the door. He faintly felt his beautiful girlfriend squeeze his hand once more and whisper that she loved him before gently letting their grip fall and walking towards his parents. Without saying a word, he tenderly shuffled past Carey and Kurt and gazed around the corner.

What lay on the other side still sent shivers up his spine.

While the image of Zack sitting up in the bed healthy and safe had always been as vivid as day in his mind, seeing it in real life before him was a whole new kind of bliss. Even throughout all the feelings of paranoia and anxiousness that consumed him to the brink, Cody still couldn't help but let out a genuine, content smile as he gazed upon his brother.

Jumping with startle as the door was closed in place behind him with a gentle thud, Cody's delighted demeanour was suddenly shattered as the severe look of irritation and resentment still lay plainly across Zack's face.

"Well, come on then?" the older twin barked.

Cody blinked, "Come on with what?"

"Come on with this heroic tale of your whirlwind adventure I'm supposed to be hearing," Zack snapped back with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

Cody sighed, scuffling over to Zack's bedside and collapsing into the pinkie coloured chair, "It's not exactly that simple for me, man."

"Well, then why are you back in here wasting my time?"

The vile tone in Zack's voice smacked Cody in the face like a harsh gust of wind on a freezing Boston winter day. Swallowing hard and gritting his teeth, the younger twin couldn't deny that he was starting to get annoyed at his brother's harsh judgement of him, but all the same, Cody breathed out and refocused his chaotic mind.

"After the accident, we were all evacuated to the Tipton in L.A.," he started, without missing a beat, "I was an _absolute _mess."

"What?" Zack grunted, "Didn't have a clean shirt?"

"I didn't have my brother!"

Both twins sharply fell to plummeting silence. Zack felt some sense of emotion tweak faintly at his core, yet, he still cast his ruthless gaze upon his brother, watching as Cody narrowed his eyes in disbelief and crossly folded his arms against his chest.

The younger twin licked his lips and opened his mouth to tie together this strongly distraught thought, "You insensitive jerk."

Taken aback for the briefest of moments, Zack's eyes widened, "Gee, I'd like to meet the person who managed to finally force the 'tough guy' out of you."

Cody swallowed, his character faltering in the slightest of grief. Images of Nate flashed through his mind.

"Yeah, so do I."

Remaining in quiet, Zack reluctantly sighed and collapsed comfortably back into his pillow, "So, then what happened?"

Cody examined the genuine curiosity on his brother's face before taking a deep breath, "I found out where all the injured survivors had been taken to. So Bailey and I left to come and find you."

"How'd you know I was alive?"

"I just did."

Zack felt a shiver creep up his back at the confident immediacy of Cody's answer, and then fell back to stillness.

Cody huffed a sigh, "I mean, I was right, wasn't I? I may not have found you in L.A. like I thought I was going to, but I still found you here." Not knowing what there was to say, Zack simply nodded his head, feeling the slightest of intimidation in Cody's imploring glare, before the younger twin then went on, "Anyway, Bailey and I were by ourselves for one night, which we actually got through in one piece, believe it or not." A reminiscent smile crept across his face, "Then we met this group of kids. Our age, mostly. They were a big help."

Zack frowned, "Street kids?"

"Yeah," Cody confirmed, "Brayden, Hog," he paused, "...and Nate."

The older twin found himself leant forward in his bed now, watching Cody's mouth move with the closest intensity in every word he spoke. He was nervously fiddling with the hem of his bed sheet, and pushing his hair out of his face every now and then in a similar nature. He hadn't been given the slightest hint by his parents or Bailey as to what exactly it was that Cody had put himself through just to find him, but now sitting there, hearing it for himself, Zack was beginning to feel a whole range of different emotions bubble up inside him at the thought of his baby brother putting himself in serious danger.

"A big help, how?" he questioned apprehensively, "I mean, what were these guys like? Drinkers, into drugs, like, what?"

Cody shrugged, "A little, here and there, yeah."

"Cody!"

"Zack!" the younger twin countered his brother's volume, "I would've dealt with them no matter what they were into as long as they were gonna help me find you."

A tense silence swept over the two brothers once more, the only noise that was, perhaps, louder than their thudding heartbeats being the television humming dimly in the background.

Cody bit his lip, "Anyway, amongst a whole range of separate events, Nate had this cousin. Tyler." Her name tasted like venom in Cody's mouth as he gritted his teeth and pushed on, "She was the one who supposedly knew where the hospital was. So she was leading the way. Then... I don't even know. She, like... fell for me?"

Zack's jaw dropped in utter bewilderment, "What?" he spat with a laugh, "Dude, I found it hard to believe that Bailey fell for you, but now a second girl, too?"

"Moving on!" Cody hastily cut back in, beginning to feel slightly uneasy, "I guess she fell for me, and was jealous of Bailey, and didn't want to see me leave, and..." the younger twin sensed himself desperately trail off as a bead of sweat began to roll down his face and a whole whirlpool of frantic memories and thoughts suddenly burst back into his mind, "Bailey told me, she _told _ me that Ty was leading us in the wrong direction, but I didn't believe her, so I almost lost her and had to find her before she got hurt to and tell her I love her, 'cause I do, Zack, I do, love her _so _much, but then Ty was so furious, even though I told her that I needed you back, I mean I thought she understood that you're my brother, my _twin_, and that I love you and needed you back, so then Nate told her to leave but she lost it and pushed him into the road and then Nate..."

Zack's head was spinning as his jaw remained opened and his brow furrowed while Cody continued to ramble on and on before his eyes instinctively locked onto a single, miserable team that slid down his little brother's cheek, "Cody!" he yelped in the most soothing possible way, "Cody, I... I don't know what to say to you, bro."

Cody's vision was now facing the ground. His eyes were shut tightly as he tried to resist the urge to unleash a whole flowing waterfall of tears onto the tiled floor beneath his feet. His chest was hurting in a stinging, burning pain. His head was pulsating as images of Nate continued to flare throughout it.

A switch had finally sparked on in his mind and told him that it had happened. Here he was, in the same building as his girlfriend and his parents and sitting right beside his twin. His unharmed, surviving twin brother. Everything that he had envisioned in his mind as the perfect end to his devastatingly heart-rending adventure had become reality. And with all that out of his mind now, finally, Cody was grieving for Nate.

Still completely unaware of what to do or say, Zack pushed his hair back between his fingers, "Cody, what's the matter? What happened?"

Suddenly, Cody's ears perked up as his eyes widened in shock. Zack frowned in confusion as, rather than fixing his stare on his brother, Cody instead spun around to face the television that was hanging on the wall behind him. The older twin's eyes soon followed and settled on the black box that all this time had been droning needlessly within the hospital room as he then became witness to a girl in the middle of the screen with long black hair and piercing green eyes being accompanied by two policemen into the back of a squad car. Being that he wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, as well as to why it had provoked such a reaction from Cody, what the news reporter eventually went on to explain made Zack's heart skip a beat.

_"...the teenage girl, Tyler Lucas, was caught by police this morning and then eventually charged with Aggravated Manslaughter in the case of her cousin, Nathan. Lucas was apprehended by the officers, as was the man who had been driving the 2006 Ford Courier Ute, and immediately taken into their custody. We'll have more on this story as well as Lucas' pending trial and ultimate sentencing when the information becomes available to us..."_

Zack was utterly speechless. Shocked. Devastated. And hurting for his baby brother. He dared to sneak an eye onto where Cody sat and felt his heart ache at the image of his twin shaking and severely tearing up in the most tremendous of despondency. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he was possibly feeling and, again, didn't have the slightest clue what there was to say. So, he offered the lamest thing he could muster.

"I'm so sorry, Cody."

The sound of his brother's voice simply drifted in one ear and out the other as Cody's vision faced down to the floor, trying his absolute hardest to rise above the impending whim of more miserable tears. His mind was elsewhere right then and there. The dull expression in Nate's green orbs and the freezing cold rain that had been pouring down on the two of them still felt as real to Cody as if it was happening to him all over again.

"I held him in my arms, after everything he had done to help Bailey and me," he eventually managed to speak, his voice cracking, "and watched him die."

Zack felt a lump catch in the back of his throat, "You didn't have to go through all that just to get me back."

As these words sunk into the back of Cody's mind with the sharpest of penetration, he immediately snapped his head back up and wiped his eyes.

It was obviously going to take a lot for him to move on from and deal with what happened to Nate, as it would, presumably, for Bailey, as well. But, for now, he was thankful that Ty got what she deserved. And while that helped a little, and despite the fact that he could still feel the pain of his heart splintering into dozens of pieces, that didn't mean that he had the right to dump all of that on Zack after all he had been through himself. So, while it seemed his psyche was not going to allow him to forget about Nate any longer, Cody was certain that he had to at least deal with his grievances himself, and definitely not do anything that may cause even the slightest of harm to Zack.

"It's okay, Zack, I'm okay," he assured his twin as strongly as he could. The cogs in his mind continued to turn as the younger twin, staring hard at Zack, was then sent back to the incident all those nights ago on the ship that had caused the whole, entire exploit in the first place. Trying his best to hold back a fresh set of tears, Cody licked his lips, "You just _have _to believe that I didn't mean what I said to you, bro. I learnt what it's like to not spend every day of my life around you, and I don't want that. Not ever, Zack."

Turning away to sneakily blink away the few trivial tears that were now on the brink of his own vision, Zack took a deep breath, "Of course I believe you. I just wanna forget about the whole thing. I just want everything to go back to normal, okay, Codester?"

Zack watched as Cody eagerly nodded his head before the older twin then reluctantly let a sob escape the back of his throat, "And I just don't want you ever having to go through something like that again, okay?"

Cracking his neck back down to face the ground, Zack watched on, confused, as Cody then laughed and shook his head in disbelief at the fact that it was _Zack _saying that he never wanted anything horrible to happen to _him_ again.

As a tremendous weight was lifted off both of their shoulders, and the greatest mass of tension diminished from the room, Cody looked back up at Zack, the tears now flowing freely down his face, "Yeah, well, back at'cha, bro!"

Before there was a single opportunity for another word to be spoken, Cody leapt out of his seat as fast as his legs could propel him and dove into Zack's arms, _finally_, after all this time feeling the warmth, love and safety of his big brother's embrace. Zack squeezed Cody as tight as he possibly could as the younger twin's tears continued to spill onto his brother's shoulder. Looking up to the heavens, Cody mouthed a 'thank you' to wherever Nate may have been as he, too, clutched at Zack with all his might.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he managed to whisper through his sobs, "Just don't ever leave me again."

Zack smiled in relief, struggling through more unwilling tears, "It's over, Cody. And I'm not going anywhere, bro, not ever."

Shutting his eyes securely in the most blissful of reprieve, Cody remained firmly settled in Zack's grip, feeling much more perfect than he ever had.

Amongst the darkness of his eyes being shut, he no longer saw his twin being thrashed about and swallowed up by the violent, unforgiving swash of the ocean. In his heart, he no longer felt lost, torn or empty. All that Cody saw was the image of his brother - happy, healthy and alive. And all he felt was the strongest and most genuine love that he held for anyone or anything else on the face of the planet.

* * *

**Sup kids. :) I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say this time other than, I'm back!**

**I'm sorry. And I'm also sorry that I have to keep saying sorry because it takes me months and months between updates. This chapter has been in the works for a while actually, as I've been going through some of my old stories and making fun of myself for writing some really lame stuff, and figured I'd come back with something actually worth ready. So, again, thank you all for sticking around and waiting! :D I really do appreciate it.**

**Anyway, WHAT DO WE THINK HERE? Aren't they cute. They're always cute :3 This still has one chapter left, but it's more like a short epilogue, so we'll see how long that takes to be written, LOL.**

**Reviews/opinions/comments about how Zack and Cody came back together here would be greatly appreciated. This story was a huge part of my life for a lonnnnng time, and I'm happy that the twins ended up back together like this :) We're almost finished!**

**THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!**

**Till next time, guys :)**

**Reneyyyyyyyy x.**


	23. You're Never Over

'Not many are lucky enough to have a guardian angel like you  
Lord, I'm so thankful, please don't think that I don't feel grateful - I do  
Just grant me the strength that I need for one more day to get through  
So, Homie, this is your song, I dedicate this to you.'  
_**You're Never Over - Eminem.**_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three - You're Never Over.  
**

* * *

Cody smiled at the text message that shone back at him from his phone amongst the darkness of the room. His heart raced in happiness as he skimmed his fingers across the key pad and hit the 'reply' button, his lips still grinning and his chest still swelling.

_I love you, too. Sweet dreams, Bailey xox_

The farm girl was back at her home in Kettlecorn, and Cody was back at the Tipton hotel in Boston. The two families had eventually gone their separate ways, and as inevitable he knew that the circumstance was, Cody missed Bailey. By God, did he miss her. He missed getting to hold her as they fell asleep every night, the smell of her strawberry blonde hair and the sensation of her gentle kiss against his lips. But he knew, deep down, that it was for the best. And that it was only for now. They were going to see each other again at Christmas, which was only a mere two months away, before the both of them then re-enrolled back into their respective schools after the holiday break. As much as it may have benefited them to do so sooner, both the Picketts and the Martins agreed that their families needed a bit more time to themselves, to rebuild and reconnect, before the fragile and shaken teenagers even attempted to adjust back to an intense study pattern.

As all these thoughts continued to circulate throughout Cody's mind, he shut his phone and placed it on his chest, sinking back into his pillow. It felt strange for him to be back in his own bed in his own bedroom again. Sure, he may have been here only a few days ago. But he hadn't felt much like sleeping then. Although, as he squinted his eyes and tried to make out any detail possible on the ceiling of his room amongst the darkness, Cody frowned as he discovered he didn't feel much like sleeping tonight, either.

Everything was back to normal. Everything was perfect - exactly the way it had been before any factor of his adventure had even happened to him. But that was problem. Nate wasn't here, and Cody was suddenly allowing himself to think about it more and more with each second that numbly passed by.

Heaving a deep sigh, Cody slowly and quietly threw his sheets of of him and stepped out of his bed onto the ground. Slipping into a pair of joggers and pulling a hoodie over his head, Cody then grabbed something off of his side table and shoved it into the depths of his pocket, before gently twisting the door knob and opening his bedroom door.

"...Cody?"

Cody jumped slightly at the soft voice he heard echo amongst the shadows of his bedroom as he turned around and smiled at the darkened image of Zack sitting up in his bed on the other side of the room.

"I'm just getting a drink, Zack. Go back to sleep."

Emitting an exhausted yawn, Zack needlessly nodded his head before collapsing back into his bed, "'Kay."

As a loud, grunting snore immediately erupted from his twin, Cody's beaming smirk only grew at the reality that Zack was actually safe and back at home in his bed, just like the younger twin had always sworn by.

The pieces to the puzzle of Zack's survival had slowly begun to come back together, but only to the slightest extend. The small, rural hospital that had found him on the shores of the Californian coast could only presume that somehow, someway he had managed to drift safely from the wreck of the ship, but alas was regrettably overlooked when the original search had taken place. Everyone had said that he was very lucky - that his rescue was simply a complete and utter mystery. Cody, on the other hand, had said that it was complete and utter fate.

With this thought stuck to his brain, Cody then continued out of his room and snuck past Carey who was asleep on the couch, eventually finding himself walking through the Tipton's lobby, and then out of the huge, double front doors.

His emotions were in an array of confusion. On the one hand, he was enormously exultant to have Zack back with him. It was the most incredible feeling of bliss that he wouldn't trade for absolutely anything in the entire world. But then on the downside, he now found himself in the most distressed grief for Nate. The person who had taken Zack's place when Zack couldn't be there, the person who had risked everything and _given _everything to help someone that he barely even knew. But despite that, the two had understood each other, to the most immense extent. And now that he finally didn't have another care in the world, that was all that Cody could think about.

As he rounded a corner and slid down the alleyway next to the Tipton, another notion impulsively crossed Cody's mind. He was emotionless to the fact that Ty was in jail, and he obviously knew the ending result for Nate, but the younger twin anxiously wondered what ever happened to Brayden and Hog. It pained him to imagine what the two must be going through being without Nate, after all, they had known him a hell of a lot longer than what Cody had. He just hoped that somehow the two of them were okay and safe and struggling through whatever hard times they may be going through together.

As a single tear threatened to roll down Cody's cheek, he instantly blinked it away and then crumpled down into a heap on the ground, revealing a black permanent marker from his jacket pocket. For the briefest of moments, Cody's sadness began to fade away as a smile materialised on his face and he started etching away at the brick wall.

With his hand instinctively beginning to take the lead, Cody's mind set back through a whirlwind of thoughts once more. He knew that wherever Nate was, he would be proud of him. Somewhere deep down in the younger twin, there was something that Nate had found that ultimately gave Cody the ability to believe in himself again. Cody knew that he would never allow anything to destroy him like that ever again, no matter how lonely it was going to be being the only one with enough guts to say exactly what was on his mind and how he was feeling. As he continued to scribble away at the wall, a feeling of gratification arose in the younger twin at the idea of celebrating Nate's life, rather than mourning his death. Yes, he was still grieving. He would grieve until the day of his own death, but his previous depression would never catch up to all the new and positive energy that he had mustered. Nate had always known that Cody would snap out of his slump and rise from the ashes - countless times he had told his younger friend to get back up, and Cody had got up, spread his wings, and flown. But it had been the second that Nate had told him to think about Zack. _"Think of Zack" _- that had been the moment when Cody was sure that everything was going to be okay, and that Nate would be by his side to make sure that it was. And Nate was still by his side.

Wiping his eyes as these last sentimental thoughts drifted throughout the younger twin's head, Cody dropped the marker to the ground and stepped back, gazing at the wall before him, as well as the new design that he had added to it.

Nate had always said that he doodled and tagged buildings as a way to remind him that he was still a kid, and as the black, bold lettering of Nathan Lucas' name sat gallantly on the brick wall of the alleyway, the short time between the date of his birth and that date of his death that accompanied it proved that at the end of the day, no matter what he done or ever been through, beyond a shadow of a doubt he _had_ been just a kid.

One final sigh emitted from Cody's chest as he stood before his work in a few moments of silence, before he nodded his head towards his friend's name, turned around and began to walk back towards the doors of the Tipton hotel, and back towards his brother.

It had certainly been an adventure. A long, painful, desperate, challenging, terrifying, heart-stopping adventure. And it would always ultimately be remembered by Cody as the adventure in which he rescued his twin from the harsh swash of the ocean waves. Yet, in the younger twin's heart of hearts, it would also be forever known as the journey of which he would never, _ever _forget about Nathan Lucas.

* * *

**HOLY POO! IT'S DONNNNNNE! :D**

**Oh my goodness, I don't even know what to say. Thank you, thank you all so so so so much for reading this story and giving me your constant support! You have no idea how much I appreciate it! I'm so glad I was able to write it for you all to enjoy and keep up with, no matter how long it took me between updates... :)**

**It's so crazy, I started this story when I was sixteen, and now I'm a nineteen year old adult with uni and job hunting and a car (which means petrol, which means money!) and phones bills and a serious relationship and aaaaggrgggrh! It's just crazy :) This story has been a huge part of my life for a long time, and I know Dylan and Cole are always going to be a huge part of my life. Because I love them so much :) It's insane, TSLOZ&C has now been bumped down into the 'Vintage' segment of Disney and I'm just like "Maaan, that's not vintage, that's my childhood...!" I don't even know. I never get to watch TV much anymore, and I especially don't get to watch Zack and Cody like at all anymore. I miss them. I really do. That's why I'd like to keep coming back as much as I can and write more stories for you guys, so I still have someway of holding onto them. Cause they're just too amazing, really :)**

**Wooow, okay, rant over! :) Anyway, thank you all again for reading my story. Final thoughts and comments are very very much appreciated, and you WILL be seeing me again, if not soon, definitely sometime in the near future.**

**THANK YOU GUYS, YOU ARE ALL LEGENDS! :D**

**Till next time, ;)**

**Reneyyyyyyy x**


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